Jan 20 (GV) Speaking in Parliament in 1996, Anura Bandaranaike dwelt on the legacy of his father and mother. He spoke of how the world had viewed SL in their time and how it was being viewed in his. �We have nothing to be respected for,� he argued. �We are an unimportant Third World country where we are killing each other. The respect that SL enjoys, the respect that all of you gentlemen enjoy when you go abroad, is because of the foreign policy that was started by my father and which was taken to more..

Jan 20 (DM) As SL gets ready to celebrate its 75th Independence Ceremony on Feb 4 there is much debate and talk about how some of the basic human rights of the people who have come under strain. At the time of writing we see certain grieved sections of the public who stage protests being chased away or water cannoned by the law enforcement authorities. At a time when this nation is praying for the arrival of the next national leader we see Wasantha Mudalige- Convener of the IUSF- being held in remand more..

Jan 20 (SO) Alcoholic drugs, intoxicating drinks, and mind twisting beverages had been in existence from time immemorial. It is not possible to trace the birth or the history of this although the world is so advanced in science, technology and research work. One of the five cardinal precepts preached by the Buddha says to abstain from consuming alcohol which proves to say that this menace had been prevalent from more..

Jan 20 (CT) Prez Wickremesinghe is seeking to re-implement the Paying Wards System in State-run hospitals in SL. This has suddenly grabbed spotlight at a time when the lauded free healthcare system has been a burden on the economy of SL. This action aims to satisfy the growing demand for high-quality healthcare services, while maintaining free healthcare for the most vulnerable individuals. Ceylon Today reported that Medical practitioners accused the Govt of attempting to privatise more..

Jan 20 (CT) Maithripala Srisena, former prez of SL has been punished with a fine of 100 million rupees for his part in the 2019 April 21 killing of a few hundred worshipers in various churches. The action was taken against him and others for failure to take appropriate remedial measures to prevent the massacre. This is the first time in the history of SL that a Prez or PM of the country has been taken to task for their misdemeanor. In this instant, they have not been found fault with for the direct attack more..

Jan 20 (TM) With the Cabinet last week approving another round of electricity tariff hikes, questions still remain as to whether the income from the proposed tariff hike will be sufficient to ensure zero power cuts during the upcoming dry season, when electricity generation from hydropower will be extremely limited. Meanwhile, SL�s power sector claims that it continues to face uncertainty, as the CEB is yet to receive more..

Jan 20 (TM) The hardships faced by SL�s hill-country Tamil community are no longer just a matter of ethnic identities, poverty, marginalisation, or inferior living conditions. Many of their issues have been ignored and underestimated for too long that their plight is now a matter of the neglect of and failure to resolve a national-level issue by the political and other authorities. TPA Leader and SJB Opposition MP Mano Ganesan recently called out this neglect and failure, claiming that unless there is... more..

Jan 20 (ST) A middle-aged patient got the shock of his life when he went to a nearby pharmacy to buy his meds. �Before the economic crisis, one particular tablet cost me Rs. 25. But now it costs me over Rs. 100 per tablet. How can we live like this?� he said in desperation. A few months ago, in these columns we reported how a Sri Lankan on holiday in Dubai was approached at a shopping mall by three other Sri Lankans saying they had arrived in the country on visit visas & were looking for jobs to escape more..

Jan 20 (DM) It is very clear even to a child that the two parties in the govt, UNP and SLPP are hell-bent on postponing LG elections that is scheduled to be held in March. The attempts now have gone to a shameless extent. Showing the country, a seemingly well-intentioned plan has been the modus operandi of these two parties, especially that of the UNP led by Prez Wickremesinghe in most of their attempts. It was the same way the previous govt led by the UNP postponed provincial council polls in 2017. more..

Jan 20 (Island) A memorable line uttered by the eponymous protagonist in Shakespeare�s Julius Caesar�Cowards die many times before their deaths�comes to mind when one sees the grandees of the SLPP-UNP govt shivering, unable to face the LG elections. It may be said, with apologies to the Bard, that cowards lose many times before their defeats. When PM Dinesh Gunawardena recently tabled a ministerial report on a Bill that seeks to amend the LG Elections Act and more..

Jan 20 (FT) The struggle by industrial and manufacturing persists as proven by two indices compiled separately by Dept of Census & Statistics (DCS) and Central Bank (CB). DCS compiled Index of Industrial Production (IIP) for November revealed that the volume of industrial production for Nov 2022 has decreased by 23.9% compared to a year earlier. On a mo-on-mo basis, decrease was 2.2% in comparison to Oct. more..

Jan 20 (EN) SL should avoid the LG polls and put more effort in to carry on necessary reforms and bring the country to a stable state, State Minister Diana Gamage said. Most of the ruling coalition members as well as Prez Wickremesinghe are not in favour of elections amid speculations over possible defeat which could hit the ongoing reform process. �Nobody in the World would go for an election at a time like this. Who really wants an election in the country when the general public has not more..

Jan 20 (FT) Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) said it is perturbed to learn that the Government is planning to withdraw Gazette No. 2041/10 dated 17 Oct 2017 of the Licensing of Shipping Agents, Freight Forwarders, Non-Vessel Operating Common Carriers and Container Operators Act No. 10 of 1972, which has been protecting importers and exporters from anti-competitive practices of service providers for many years. Gazette No. 2041/10 which is the amended Gazette No. 1842/16 more..

Jan 20 (DN) Leg spinner Lasith Embuldeniya and paceman Kavishka Anjula both claimed five-wicket hauls in the National Super League tournament fixtures played at SSC grounds and R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday. Lasith Embuldeniya who plays for the Kandy team took 5 for 60 in his 30-over spell and once again reminded selectors of his skills after an unsuccessful Test series against Bangladesh, also, his bowling figures helped his side to restrict the Colombo team to 214 in their first innings. more..

Jan 20 (EN) SL�s Galle Face, a historic site next to Chinese-built Port City has become a sea turtle hatchery for nearly 200 sea turtle eggs. the island nation�s Coastguard officials said. An official at Sri Lanka Coastguard said sea turtle eggs were seen at the Galle Face beach for the first time and there could be more sea turtles hatching eggs in the area than what they have discovered now. �The construction of Port City had prohibited us from sailing life saving boats for 24 hours,� more..

Jan 20 (TM) Vedda Chieftain Uruwarige Wannila Aththo requested the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) for the implementation of laws to secure the rights of the indigenous Vedda community, and to provide them with access to Courts by implementing a Parliamentary Act to safeguard the rights of the indigenous community of Sri Lanka. �There are numerous ongoing issues faced by the indigenous community such as more..

Jan 20 (TM) The Ministry of Agriculture has decided to suspend the services of approximately 50 Agricultural Research and Production Assistants who have allegedly committed various frauds and caused irregularities in distributing fertiliser during the 2022-2023 Maha season and to conduct disciplinary inquiries against nearly 300 officials to determine their involvement in fraudulent activities in relation to the distribution of fuel to farmers in the 2022 Yala season. more..

Jan 20 (AD) SL�s first 3D animation movie using motion capture technology will be released in theatres tomorrow (20), bringing a novel cinematic experience to Sri Lankans. Directed by Chanaka Perera and co-produced by John Fonseka and Chamika Jinadasa for Studio 101, the 3D animation movie Gajaman is a breakthrough in SL cinema. This movie is based on the popular Gajaman cartoon by veteran SL cartoonist Camillus Perera. The two lead characters are dubbed by more..

Jan 20 (TM) A group of SLPP Govt MPs including Madhura Withanage are to lodge a complaint with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), requesting an inquiry against Colombo Additional Magistrate Tharanga Mahawatte � who heard the case pertaining to IUSF Convenor Wasantha Mudalige and IUBF Convenor Ven. Galwewa Siridhamma Thera � based on the affidavits recently submitted to IGP more..

Jan 20 (DM) Four more suspects including two main suspects wanted over the incident of recovering the bodies of two young men who went missing in the Hurimaluwa area in Rambukkana, were arrested today by the Crimes Division of the Kegalle Police. Police said the two main suspects, Mohamed Nisar Mohamed Farhan alias Hurimaluwe Farhan, Abdul Latif Mohamed and two other suspects who aided and abetted to the heinous crime were arrested in Puttalam Town on Thursday. more..

Jan 20 (DN) Listed entities are working to minimize the tax burden of the ultimate beneficiary through various mechanisms. With the recent tax changes, a large 15% Withholding Tax (WHT) has been placed on Dividend Income. Dividends are exempt from another round of Withholding Taxation when they are paid out of funds received as dividends. So far listed entity Commercial Development has brought forward their interim dividend payment payable on Jan 13 2023 to payment in Dec 2022. more..

Jan 20 (DM) SLFP MP Dayasiri Jayasekara raised objections to the attire of State Minister Suren Raghavan, who had worn a bow-tie suit to Parliamentary sessions today. MP Jayasekara said it is against Parliamentary ethics to speak in Parliament wearing a bow-tie suit. He said an MP should wear a national dress or a western suit in Parliament according to parliamentary ethics. State Minister Ragawan said Mr. Jayasekara was playing dirty politics. more..

Jan 20 (Island) Time had come for ministers and MPs of the govt to step down from their posts and say goodbye to their parasitic lives, SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella told Parliament. �Govt ministers and MPs are worse than leeches. You ruined our economy and destroyed this nation but shamelessly cling onto power. Resign with dignity if you have any remaining,� Kiriella said. He said that govt sent its lawyers to Court on the previous day to state that it had no funds to hold elections. more..

Jan 20 (TM) Claiming that Police officers often cover up the wrongdoings of their colleagues and act in their favour, and that it has led to a rise in instances of misconduct among Police officers in the recent past, National Police Commission (NPC) stated that it is currently in the process of preparing a series of new guidelines to prevent such incidents in the future. NPC Chairman and former IGP Chandra Fernando said: more..

Jan 20 (Island) The distribution of school textbooks in the current years could be delayed as private printers have not been paid by the Education Ministry. Managing Director of Softwave Printing and Packaging (Pvt) Ltd, asked for comment, said that the Ministry of Education had not made any advance payment. It had not paid them for the books they had already printed, he added. �We have printed some books using the material we have and we have not been paid for that either. more..

Jan 20 (AD) Court of Appeal has extended the interim order issued suspending the new board of officials elected to the Football Federation of SL (FFSL) including its President Sri Ranga from executing their duties, until tomorrow (20). Order was issued when a writ petition filed by former president of the FFSL Jaswar Umar stating that the election of the FFSL is illegal, was taken up before the two-member Appellate Court bench consisting of Justices Sobhitha Rajakaruna and more..

Jan 20 (TF) Two days after China opposed a supposed visit by the Dalai Lama to SL, an official for the Tibetan govt-in-exile said the spiritual leader has no plans to visit the island nation although he has been invited, On Tuesday, China had said SL, currently a bankrupt nation, must safeguard its bilateral relationship with Beijing. A top Chinese embassy official met the powerful Buddhist prelates in the central town of Kandy to express opposition to the visit, a PTI report had said more..

Jan 20 (FT) State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya is to lodge a complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department regarding alleged malpractices concerning tax stamps on alcohol products. Last week, several bottles containing fake tax stamps were discovered from wine stores in Thambuththegama, Thalawa and Kahatagasdilliya. Previously it emerged that QR codes affixed to these stamps do not work and provide details on the product & tax paid. more..

Jan 20 (AD) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena announced his plans to establish a public fund, in order to collect the Rs. 100 million he was ordered to pay as compensation in relation to the Easter Sunday Attacks of 2019. Sirisena explained that he is unable to pay the ordered sum of Rs. 100 million and therefore decided to collect the sum of money from the public. �I don�t have the financial stability to pay Rs. 100 mil. more..

Jan 20 (DM) In the wake of the death threats on two members of the election commission, armed police officers have been deployed to provide security to the residences of members of the Election Commission who received threats, police said. Police Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that at least two armed police officers will be deployed for their security. The CID has launched an investigation after two members of the Election Commission (EC) received death threats. more..

Jan 20 (TM) CPC has said that increasing the fuel quota provided to candidates of the LG election cannot be greenlighted. Speaking on the matter following a discussion with the Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday, CPC Chairman Uvais Mohamed said that fuel quotas cannot be increased in the prevailing situation. Despite several requests made during the meeting seeking an increased fuel quota for LG election candidates, CPC Chairman had elaborated on a prevailing lack of funds more..

Jan 20 (EN) SL�s ruling coalition passed an election campaign financing bill to prevent undue influence of financial resources in election, but opposition criticized the move as a possible strategy to delay upcoming local govt polls. Regulation of Election Expenditure Bill was passed by a 61 majority votes with 97 votes in favour of the bill against 36 in the 225-member parliament. The country�s election commission has been more..

Jan 20 (NR) Kurunegala Centre for Human Rights and Community Development has revealed that the education level of 56% of migrant workers only go up to the Ordinary Level based on a survey conducted on the Migrant Health Policy and the Migrant Service Agreement. The matter was discussed at the Women Parliamentarians� Caucus held under the chairmanship of MP Sudarshini Fernandopulle recently. The CHRCD also revealed that a majority of migrant workers migrate more..

Jan 20 (FT) The dismal failure of SL�s citizens to hold their national leaders accountable is, in my view, the root cause of the country�s current economic and political woes. The mere fact that we, as if in a hypnotic trance, regularly re-elect persons who had, previously, abused their positions and mortgaged our country�s valuable resources to make merry today at the expense of tomorrow�s generations and the fact that there still exists a sizable number of citizens wanting more..

Jan 20 (AD) The final rites of veteran SL filmmaker Sumitra Peries, who passed away on Thursday, will be performed with full state honours. The Ministry of Public Admin, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils & Local Govt announced this in a press release issued earlier today. Accordingly, the funeral of the late filmmaker will be held at the Independence Square premises at 4.00 p.m. tomorrow. She passed away at the age of 88 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Colombo. more..