An unscheduled meeting that took place last week between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former President, MP Mahinda Rajapaksa managed to create ripples in political circles, especially among members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). The Rajapaksas have now resorted to the latest conspiracy of trying to drive a wedge between the Prime Minister …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene There is a view taken by some who are engaged in the process of constitutional reform that a new or radically revised constitutional document for Sri Lanka will be the proverbial panacea for many if not all the country’s ills. This is however dangerously misleading. The question is simple. If provisions …
Low and middle income groups will be worst hit by the Government’s move to raise Value Added Tax (VAT) to 15 percent from May 2. Set to rise are their telephone, water and electricity bills. This is on top of their having to pay more for consumer items, medical bills and even private education. The …
By Namini Wijedasa The proposed steel houses for the war-affected have inadequate foundations, insufficient roof support, are at risk of corrosion, are poorly ventilated and have no hearth and chimney, Moratuwa Universtiy experts have found after a detailed technical study. The controversial dwellings — erected by the Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal — also have poor or non-existent …
A kitchen blowtorch in the checked-in luggage of a team of Sri Lankan chefs returning after a culinary exhibition in Singapore led to the recall of a SriLankan Airline flight soon after it had taken off from the Changi International Airport on Thursday. The drama unfolded when five Sri Lankan chefs were returning to Colombo …
by C. Raja Mohan As the Indian public discourse on China continues to oscillate between unmitigated romanticism and unreasonable hostility, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has settled down to a pragmatic engagement with Beijing. The NDA government’s three-way dialogue with the Chinese leadership next week, involving External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and …
By Upul Joseph Fernando India maintained strict silence on Ranil’s visit to China. Only India is aware of the secret behind that silence. Subsequent to Mahinda’s defeat, his brother former Defence Secretary Gotabaya said at a conference that Indian Defence Adviser Ajit Doval had told him to halt the Colombo Port City (Chinese) Project. Gotabaya …
By C.A.Chandraprema Sri Lanka entered the traditional New Year with the yahapalana government literally standing on its head. The present government described its first mini-budget in January last year as a Robin Hood budget where the rich were robbed to give concessions to the poor. Indeed there was no doubt that in the early days …
By Gagani Weerakoon The Yahapalana Government lead by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, seems to have taken a complete U-turn in its foreign policy adopted over a year ago, with the latter taking up his maiden visit to China last week to negotiate inking several strategic economic agreements. Upon reaching China, Prime …
SriLankan Airlines flight UL 309 was instructed to return to Changi International Airport by the Singapore authorities due to security reasons soon after it was airborne to Colombo on April 14. The flight later arrived in Colombo at 0042 hrs on April 15, 2016 with a total delay of 3 hours. Issuing a statement, the …
The Value Added Tax (VAT) is to be increased to 15% with effect from May 02, 2016, the Finance Ministry announced. Accordingly, VAT will also be imposed on supply of telecommunication services, import or supply of telecom equipment or machinery, high tech equipment including copper cables for telecom industry and supply of healthcare services.
Megapolis and Western Development Ministry today said though there was a concerted effort by certain interested parties to link Ministry Consultant Vidya Amarapala to the so-called black money scandal ‘Panama Papers’ he had never been involved in such illegal transactions and added, Mr. Amarapala had decided to resign from his post to facilitate any possible …
The construction of 65,000 houses for conflict affected families in the North-East will begin in the next two months and the selection of beneficiaries is being carried out by District and Divisional Secretaries of the two provinces right now, a senior Cabinet Minister said. Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs Minister D.M.Swaminathan speaking exclusively to …
Work on the Colombo Port City Project will begin in May this year, State Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs Niroshan Perera said. The Minister said that all agreements had been finalized. “Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe who handles the subject of National Polices and Economic Affairs had finalized all agreements during his recent State …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka Sp economic reality dawned and the UNP leadership had to eat humble fortune cookie. China is back in the game in a major way, which is a good thing because it partially and temporarily stabilizes the economic crisis while re-balancing the island’s recently lopsided external relations. Ironically, the restored Chinese footprint may …
By Charnika Imbulana Today (13 April 2016) marks the 43rd death anniversary of Dudley Shelton Senanayake, the second Prime Minister of our country, then Ceylon. On this date every year as a tribute to this gentleman politician, his life is reminisced. I have in these columns for many years on such occasion given details of …
By Vishwamithra1984 “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” ~George Bernard Shaw The roads look narrower than they really are. It’s the optics. Not that they have shrunk in their measure; the traffic has …
Continue reading ‘The story of a weeping island… Sri Lanka’s lamentable limp towards progress’ »
By Ranga Jayasuriya It has been a long time since we last heard from the Opposition, I mean the TNA-led main Opposition. Even when there are occasional isolated voices, such as by the National List MP M.A. Sumanthiran, they too appear to be too little, too late. Last time the Opposition Leader Rasavarodhayam Sampanthan spoke …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene From a strategic point of view, it was a great sleight of hand for this Government to have successfully ‘packaged’ the 19th Amendment to the Constitution as a notable constitutional gain for Sri Lanka, despite its many problematic provisions. Some of these seemingly progressive but actually deadening provisions include bringing back …
By Don Manu There is no such thing as a free Chinese takeaway; and, if the visiting Lankan high powered delegation led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe fancied otherwise, the Chinese hosts made pretty certain the guests got the message crystal clear when the fortune cookie, opened after the diplomatic feast of niceties was over, …
A decision reportedly taken by the Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) board to approve a huge monthly housing allowance of Rs. 725,000 for its Chairman P.G. Kumarasinghe Sirisena has been challenged by Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando. The minister told the Sunday Times yesterday that he had told the Prime Minister that the figure …
By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya The red-carpet welcome accorded to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Beijing on his just-concluded official visit, and the understandings reached, send a reassuring signal that China continues to be an all-weather friend to Sri Lanka. This is in spite of the uncertainties that characterized the relationship during the 2015 presidential election campaign …
By Gomin Dayasri Look around and pick a leader capable of pulling the country fallen into an awful rot; landingin the bin is a responsibility shared. To reach a level of sensibility is the initial task-not to touch greatness, bespoken on political platforms. It discounts politicians that enjoyed/s power – in past and present tense. …
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has said his government has addressed India’s security concerns over the newly-modified US$ 1.5 billion Colombo Port City project. Addressing a press conference in Beijing before wrapping up his four-day visit to China, the Prime Minister ruled out chances of an India-China clash to gain control of the Indian Ocean. “There …
Sri Lanka has asked China to swap some of the $8 billion it owes Beijing for equity in infrastructure projects and offered to sell stakes in its companies to Chinese ones, Colombo officials said on Saturday. The ouster of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who steered Sri Lanka toward China until his 2015 election defeat, was a …
Krishantha Prasad Cooray has finally assumed duties as the new Chairman of Hotel Developers (Lanka) Plc, the owning company of Hilton Colombo. Cooray is a private sector executive counting years of experience in the corporate sector and an academic background in Political Science and Law. He also serves on the Board of DFCC Bank. His …
By Zahra Imtiaz Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Affairs Minister, D. M. Swaminathan who is currently at the centre of the controversy surrounding the 65,000 housing project insists that the hype is more to do with the politics of the North rather than a lack of transparency in its tender procedure. Excerpts: Q. What is the …
“Mirror Business” conducted an email interview with Dr. Arusha Cooray, the Lankan born Professor of Economics at the Nottingham University Business School (Malaysia), over the current economic situation of Sri Lanka. Dr. Cooray’s work is widely published and she is one of the leading academics in the field of economics Sri Lanka has produced. Sri …
By C.A.Chandraprema The fact that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe went to China at all reveals many things. Many believe that the Indian intelligence outfit RAW played a major role in bringing the present government into power by organizing the minorities. However it appears that the Indians don’t have as strong a hold on their supposed …
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and it never will.” Fredrick Douglassi The Panama Papers reveal a truth which is timeless and universal. Power and corruption are conjoined twins. The 148 politicians implicated so far, by the 11.5 million files from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, span every divide, …
BEIJING: Ruling out chances of India-China clash to gain control of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today said his government has addressed New Delhi’s security concerns over the newly- modified USD 1.5 billion Colombo Port City project. “There is no question of security problem. The Indian security issues have been addressed …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Contrary to speculation Sri Lankan politicians are not among those named in Panama Papers (a vast collection of documents pertaining to massive secret investments in far-flung tax havens). However, among those Sri Lankans who had been named in the Panama Papers are in a range of lucrative sectors mainly among captains of …
Chinese President Xi Jingping yesterday commended the decision by the Sri Lankan Government to restart the port city project and pledged to encourage financing and investment of future projects as well as appointing a three member committee to oversee future ventures. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met with Xi during a State ceremony presided over by …
by Anura Balasuriya Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said that President Maithripala Sirisena had ordered the Defence Ministry to reverse its decision to withdraw half of the soldiers in the former’s security contingent following objections raised in parliament by two UPFA MPs.
By Zacki Jabbar With the so-called Panama Papers taking the world by storm, the government said yesterday that it was examining the dealings of some Sri Lankan politicians and companies with offshore financial dealings. Deputy Minister of State Enterprise Development Eran Wickremeratne told the weekly Cabinet Press Briefing in Colombo, that investigations had led them …
By Saman Indrajith Government yesterday told Parliament that it had 92 cabinet, state and deputy ministers and invited more and more Opposition MPs to join as what was in power was a national government. Chief Government Whip and Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Minister Gayantha Karunatillake said the government had 47 Cabinet ministers including President …
Seven army personnel and three naval ratings had been taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act since Janauary 14, this year, parliament was told yesterday. A document tabled by Law and Order and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayake said that four other army personnel and four police personnel, too, have …
By T.Ramakrishnan A year ago, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who had just returned to power after a gap of over 10 years, chose Guruvayur, a temple town in Kerala, to make a pertinent observation on his country’s ties with two big neighbours: “Sri Lanka is neither pro-India nor pro-China,” he said. His comments …
By Marwaan Macan-Markar On a Saturday in March, as Colombo sizzled under a fierce sun, Sri Lanka’s 66-year-old Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe took a break from politics to return to the world of his youth. The occasion was a cricket match between his high school, Royal College, and crosstown rival S. Thomas’. The match has …
Tamil National Alliance Jaffna District MP and Lawyer M. A. Sumanthiran has sought more information from the Minister of Prison reforms,Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu religious affairs minister D.M. Swaminathan on the proposed project of building 65,000 houses for the conflict affected people of the Northern and Eastern provinces. The Jaffna district parliamentarian has In a …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Claiming continuing LTTE threats to his life, former President and Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa has appealed to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to rescind a government decision to withdraw a contingent of army commandos assigned for his security. Former President met Premier Wickremesinghe at the latter’s office in parliament on Tuesday (April …
by Saman Indrajith Party leaders have decided to grant increased allowances to MPs following representations made by several Tamil party leaders. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has told the party leaders that the plan to grant increased allowances for MPs could be approved if party leaders backed the move. TNA Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran said at the …
In an unexpected turn of events, the Sri Lankan government has now decided to temporarily suspend the project to construct 65000 houses for IDPs in the Northern province. Before making the sudden decision on Wednesday morning, the government almost finalized an agreement with Arcelormittal – an Indian steel giant owned by businessman Lakshmi Mittal – …
By Vishwamithra 1984 “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”-Confucius April 5 marks the 45th Anniversary of the famous 1971 insurrection. It claimed many thousands of lives; destroyed an untold number of families, small businesses and aspirations of a whole generation. It was led by the Janatha …
Continue reading ‘Tragic Tale of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’ »
By Dr.Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu It has been some years since I wrote a column for a mainstream newspaper. Looking back on it, I gave up writing for a combination of reasons, which oscillated from being bored and tired of saying the same thing to focusing on more practical action to effect change. The change happened in …
By Saman Indrajith The Constitutional Assembly, which met for the first time yesterday, appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe unanimously for the post of Chairman of the Steering Committee vested with the task of preparing a new Constitution for the country. When it met with Speaker Karu Jayasuriya presiding, Chief Government Whip and Parliament Reforms and …
By T. RAMAKRISHNAN Dismissing objections to the project of building 65,000 houses in the civil war-hit Northern and Eastern Provinces, the Sri Lankan government has decided to go ahead. In an interview with The Hindu at his office on Monday evening, Minister in charge of Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Prison Reforms D.M. Swaminathan said the project …
By P.K.Balachandran Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s three-day visit to China beginning on Wednesday, is aimed at putting Lanka on a new economic trajectory with new systems in place to revive the ailing mega projects of the Rajapaksa era and to make the proposed US$ 1.4 billion Colombo Port City an international business hub …
By T. RAMAKRISHNAN Three hundred fishermen of Mullativu, one of the most backward districts in Sri Lanka and where the civil war came to an end in a brutal way, will get 150 boats and fishing equipment. The boats and the equipment will be “gifts” of the Indian government, which will spend SLR 100 million.
By Priyantha Kodippili During an interview with the Minister of Megapolis and Western Province Patalie Champika Ranawaka on the issues that surfaced with the power outages that affected the entire country, he categorically stated that this was the work of a Mafia within the CEB. Q. You were once the Minister of Power. What was …
By Chamodi Gunawardana Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) politburo member Kumar Gunaratnam’s mother Rajamani Gunaratnam yesterday urged the Government to provide Sri Lankan citizenship for her son. Speaking at a media briefing organised by the FSP she claimed she was afraid for her son’s life after he was transferred to the Anuradapura Prison from the Kegalle …
By Madura Ranwala The Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) yesterday arrested three Sri Lankan heroin kingpins in connection with the latest and biggest ever haul of heroin detected in the southern sea in a joint operation with Sri Lanka Navy last Wednesday and brought ashore on Friday. The narcotics weighed 110 kilos and 14 foreign drug …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will visit Beijing this week; his first to China since becoming the Prime Minister. Not only would his much anticipated visit bring clarity to Sri Lanka’s recently troubled ties with China, it would also signal that, at a domestic level, Sri Lankan politics is returning to reality. It …
By Niyanthini Kadirgamar In the post-war North and East housing is a dire need. The provision of permanent housing, as well as livelihood creation, is pivotal for the resettlement of communities. As such, a Cabinet decision to build 65,000 houses for war-affected communities seemed to be a move in the right direction for a Government …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris has told the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that he reserved the right to take legal action against its refusal to furnish a certified copy of Acting IGP S.M. Wickremesinghe’s directive that he be summoned to record a statement pertaining to the recent detection of explosives …
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene Sri Lankans were blithely reassured this week by President Maithripala Sirisena that they need not fear the Ides of March anymore, taking into account the annual critical focus on the country by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). But in truth, this claim is unduly optimistic. Reducing of the ‘yahapalanaya’ …
Forthcoming bilateral talks with China were expected to advance relations between the two countries to a new level, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Office said in a statement issued yesterday. Premier Wickremesinghe is scheduled to leave for Beijing on Wednesday (April 6) for a three-day visit Text of PM’s Office statement is as follows – “This …
By C.A.Chandraprema The Joint Opposition launched a signature campaign last week demanding that the local government election which had been postponed Since March 2015 be held. With this we saw the government explaining that they can’t hold the LG election just yet until the delimitation of the wards has been completed. The Chairman of the …
By Rasika Jayakody The ‘Tiger card’ was the trump card constantly trotted out by the Rajapaksa regime, especially when they faced crucial elections during the last five years of its rule. With the collapse of that regime, the pro-Rajapaksa camp, over the past year, had different ways of pulling out the ‘Tiger card’ in attempts …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Northern Governor Reginald Cooray on Thursday said that families of LTTE cadres continued to occupy lands which had been seized during the conflict even six years after the conclusion of the war. Addressing the media at his official residence at Battaramulla, Governor Cooray said that the LTTE, too, had seized land by …
By Madura Ranwala The Navy and the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB), in a joint operation, yesterday took into custody the biggest ever haul of heroin brought into the country via sea; it weighed 101 kilos. Eleven foreign drug smugglers—a Pakistan national and 10 Iranians—were also arrested. The heroin had been smuggled from Pakistan to Sri …
by Shamindra Ferdinando Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) supporters yesterday stormed the Immigration and Emigration Office at Punchi Borella. Protesters accused the Immigration and Emigration of facilitating a government project to expel their leader Kumar Gunaratnam (49) arrested by the government on a charge of violating Immigration and Emigration laws. Gunaratnam was arrested last November for …
by Izeth Hussain I have argued for many years that the Sinhalese side can safely give any amount of devolution to the Tamils without that leading to separation by a supposedly ineluctable linear progression. Separation can take place only if the Sinhalese side is unable to prevent it, because of defeat in war or intervention …
He was stubborn as a mule, ate what he pleased, refused to see a doctor, take meds and get a medical checkup when it was necessary. He always said, “You’ll know what’s wrong with you only if you get a checkup, not if you don’t.” Prasad chose to be blissfully oblivious until he passed away …
By Malinda Seneviratne There’s nothing funny about explosives and explosions. Nothing to salivate about. And yet, we are hearing guffaws and seeing people licking their lips. All this because some explosives were found buried in Chavakachcheri. The derision obviously comes from the Opposition or rather those affiliated with what is now called the ‘Joint Opposition’. …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Northern Province Governor Reginald Cooray yesterday said that the deadly cache detected at Meesalai, Chavakachcheri had been brought there to cause destruction. The armaments couldn’t have been brought in for a peaceful purpose, Governor Cooray said, asserting that moderates always attracted the wrath of extremists. The NP Governor was addressing the media …
By Shamindra Ferdinando An LTTE cadre now under interrogation had brought a suicide jacket, four claymore mines, three parcels containing about 12 kgs of TNT, two battery packs as well as 100 rounds of 9mm ammunition to a safe house in Chavakachcheri area, in Jaffna on Sunday night. The police identified the suspect as Edward …
by P.K.Balachandran The accidental discovery of an arms cache, including three parcels of TNT and a suicide jacket, in a house at Chavakachcheri in Jaffna District on Wednesday, may hinder the demilitarization of the Northern Province which is one of the major post-war demands of Sri Lankan Tamils and which was promised to the UN …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The police yesterday afternoon arrested an LTTE cadre following the recovery of a suicide jacket, four claymore mines, three parcels containing about 12 kilos of TNT explosives, two battery packs as well as some 9mm ammunition from the suspect’s house in the Chavakachcheri police area. The recovery had been made on information …
by Dasun Edirisinghe The government had not told the public the whole truth regarding yesterday’s detection of suicide kits, bombs and explosives from the Chavakachcheri police area in Jaffna, the Joint Opposition charged. Addressing the media at the Dr N. M. Perera Centre in Borella, former External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris said that …
By Chamodi Gunawardana The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Central Committee (CC) will not take disciplinary action against its MPs who were present at the Joint Opposition ‘Jana Satana’ rally in Hyde Park said Minister and SLFP Spokesman Dilan Perera yesterday. Justifying the delay in taking action against them Perera said the CC has no …
By Shamindra Ferdinando Defence Secretary Eng. Karunasena Hettiarachchi yesterday said tangible measures were being taken to promote post-war national reconciliation, address accountability issues in accordance with the Geneva Resolution and address grievances of the military. Hettiarachchi said that in support of the on-going reconciliation efforts the Army had built a housing scheme Sanhindiyawe Sathvirugama (Sathvirugama …
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday urged all SLFPers serving in the government to beware that the Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) agreement with India mooted by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and backed by President Sirisena would have far reaching consequences for the country and, therefore, they had to choose where they stood on the …
By P.K.Balachandran The compromise reached by the Sri Lankan government and the Lankan construction industry on the controversial issue of building 65,000 houses for the war displaced in the Tamil-majority Northern Province, has left the affected Tamils with no choice but to live in Arcelor Mittal’s flimsy, pre-fabricated PVC and steel houses, unsuited to the …
Legendary playback singer of South Indian languages, P Susheela, celebrated for her versatility, has entered the Guinness World Records for recording highest number of songs in several languages in a career spanning over half a century. “Pulapaka Susheela Mohan (born 1935) has reportedly recorded up to 17,695 solo, duet and chorus backed songs in over …
By Roshne B Versatile singer, Padma Bhushan awardee P Susheela has added yet another feather to her cap by entering the Guinness Book of World Records. The mellifluous singer broke the previous record of 11,000 solo songs by singer Asha Bhosle to enter the Guinness Book. The citation presented by the agency to the five-time …
By Upul Joseph Fernando Mahinda Rajapaksa loyalists who were jubilant over an invitation extended to Mahinda by the Chinese Government boasted about that invitation extended in November last year. Mahinda was scheduled to fly to China last December. However, Parliamentarians close to Mahinda’s heart claimed that China would help only if Mahinda came to power. …
By Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka There were things that Mahinda Rajapaksa did right, there were things he did wrong and there were things he didn’t do which he should have. Therefore, the electorate decided that it needed a post-Rajapaksa Sri Lanka, building upon the best of Rajapaksa. However, one cannot move to a situation that is better …
By Palitha Pelpola Gamini Dissanayake’s birth anniversary fell on March 20. Commenting on the assassination of John Kennedy in 1963 in Dallas, Texas, Marian Wright Edelman, President and Founder of the Children’s Defence Fund stated thus: “So much of the deep lingering sadness over President Kennedy’s assassination is about the unfinished promise, unspoken speeches, unfulfilled …
President Maithripala Sirisena should be held responsible for the alleged faults of the previous Government, because he was a one of its Cabinet Ministers, claimed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday. Speaking at an occasion held in Embilipitiya Rajapaksa said if there were unsuitable decisions of the past administration, these were all taken with the approval …
By P.K.Balachandran The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is to meet the Indian High Commissioner to seek more funds to house the war-displaced at Sampur in Eastern Sri Lanka because the LKR 550,000 that is now given to each beneficiary family to build a house under the Indian Housing Project is not enough, given the galloping …
In an apparent move to give the people a full and balanced report on vital issues in the country, President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday night made a rare appearance on a television talk show to answer probing questions. The President reiterated that the priority issues of the National Government were to find a just, fair …
By P K Balachandran Sri Lankan doctors are opposing the government’s bid to sign an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India on the grounds that in the absence of a sound regulatory mechanism in Lanka, the ETCA will lead to a massive influx of Indian doctors, threatening the prospects of local medical professionals. …
By Ranga Jayasuriya Last week, there was this tantalizing proposition from an anonymous member of the Joint Opposition, who was speaking on behalf of a group of MPs wanting to unify the divided SLFP, suggested to appoint Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a Member of Parliament. Gotabaya, the nameless MP beckoned, would serve as the unifier of …
by Professor G.L. Peiris The Government’s new Budget proposals impact significantly on every segment of society. The implications of these proposals, and their practical effect, are worthy of serious reflection. I. The Need for Certainty and Stability As a preliminary point, it needs to be said that the main feature of a Budget should be …
By M. W. Somarathne Pesident Maithripala Sirisena is hoping to become the Prime Minister under the new Constitution, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva claimed on Saturday. Speaking at a function in Matale, Silva said the executive presidency will be completely removed from the new Constitution. “The President hopes to be a candidate for the post …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The navy on Friday (March 25) vacated a training base established at Sampoor soon after the liberation of the Eastern Province in mid 2007. Navy headquarters said that 177 acres had been handed over to Eastern Province Governor Austin Fernando to be distributed among original owners. President Maithripala Sirisena handed over 60 …
By Kelum Bandara Against the backdrop of emerging political challenges, the SLFP seniors holding posts in the government are planning to meet with President Maithripala Sirisena to discuss how to deal with the situation, it is learnt. Newly appointed Secretary of SLFP-led United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Mahinda Amaraweera was booed by part supporters in …
By “Sunday Times”Political Editor SriLankan Airlines, the country’s national carrier, that once offered a “taste of paradise” to its clients, is now on life support with Treasury handouts. The enormity of its mismanaged financial debacles unfolded last Wednesday when Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe chaired a top level meeting. There, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake agreed to …
By Don Manu When a Buddhist monk belonging to the Rajapaksa chapter suddenly stands up and says there is something fishy in the way the chief architect of the Yahapalana movement, the Venerable Sobitha Thera, died; and casts an aspersion that he may have been ‘done in’ by forces who feared he would speak of …
By C.A.Chandraprema Even though the Joint Opposition’s rally at Hyde Park on 17 March was held mainly to oppose the proposed ETCA with India and to highlight other issues such as the changes in the fertiliser subsidy and the low price of paddy, these objectives were completely lost among the large crowds and it became …
by Camelia Nathaniel Veteran diplomat Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka, when asked about the underworld activities that have raised its head again, said that one thing that must be said about the Rajapaksa administration is that under the former Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa there was relentless, one might even say ruthless rooting out the gangs and …
By Rasika Jayakody The UPFA and its main political party, the SLFP, are yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel where its internal power struggle is concerned. The newly appointed General Secretary of the UPFA coalition, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, chosen troubleshooter of President Sirisena, had to deal with an unexpected issue …
By Harischandra Gunaratna GMOA President Dr Anuruddha Padeniya has warned that the signing of the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India will be inimical to Sri Lanka’s interests. Dr. Padeniya, addressing a gathering of scholars, intellectuals and professionals in Colombo on Wednesday said: “The agreement is clearly a political one and the architects …
By P.K.Balachandran Tamil National Alliance (TNA) chief R.Sampanthan has said that he will discuss with the Indian High Commission the “substantial” environmental problems that will be created if India sets up a 500 MW coal-fired power plant at Sampur in Eastern Sri Lanka. “people of the area have been telling me about the substantial pollution …
by Ranil Dharmasena Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka who was appointed the Minister of Provincial Development has got additional portfolios, National Agriculture and Diversification and Human Settlement Authority ( Hadabima).
by Saman Indrajith Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had decided to bring under his direct supervision the ministries and statutory boards which had failed to achieve their targets during its first two quarters, sources close to the Prime Minister’s office said yesterday. The Premier had taken that decision following a large number of complaints that officials …
By Izeth Hussain I have come to share the view of the Sinhalese hard-liners that the Tamil ethnic problem cannot be solved through devolution. I now share their view that going beyond 13 A in its presently truncated form – that is by giving police and land powers – will only aggravate the ethnic problem, …
By Nirantha Edirisinghe After seeing many remarks by Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka [SF] including those in his first speech in Parliament lately, I think the former General is trying to make us all believe that the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa [MR] did nothing at all in the war winning process. He insists that it was …
By P.K.Balachandran In Sri Lanka, sorcery is used as a substitute for premeditated murder and physical violence, says Princeton University’s Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, Gananath Obeyesekere. In his paper: “ Sorcery, Premeditated Murder and Canalization of Aggression” revised in 2014, Obeyesekere says that sorcery helps canalize a person’s murderous intention or wish to physically harm …
By Taylor Dibbert In Sri Lanka, President Maithripala Sirisena had promised progress regarding Tamil political prisoners, although we’ve seen little of that. Unfortunately, the president’s dithering project has continued — with no end in sight. More broadly, the Sri Lankan government has made big commitments regarding transitional justice and those changes, if they ever happen, …
BY T. RAMAKRISHNAN There were reports in recent years, that a “jihadist” movement was being formed in the Eastern province, where Muslims constitute around 37 per cent the population. There are no Islamist jihadist groups in Sri Lanka, said a study commissioned by the Colombo-based International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES). The study had gone …
By Dilanka Gunathilaka Several former Chairmen of SLFP LG (Pradeshiya Sabha) bodies who have been summoned by the Party’s Central Committee (CC), to explain their rejection of a CC decision on 29 March, say that they will not present themselves before the Committee for disciplinary action. Informed sources told this paper that those who have …
By Shamindra Ferdinando The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has assured complainants, Siddque Mohammed Sufai and Gayashan Venura that their complaints in respect of Megapolis and Western Province Development Minister Patali Chapika Ranawaka’s alleged involvement in a hit-and-run accident would receive its attention. The HRCSL comprises Dr. Deepika Udagama, Hamid Ghazali Hussain, Saliya …
By Madura Ranwala Rathugala Vedda community leader, Suda Wannile Attho, his wife and his sister-in-law’s 11-year-old son are being treated at the Bibile hospital after being assaulted allegedly a group of policemen attached to the Ratmalgaha Ella police post of the Inginiyagala police station in the Ampara police division on Wednesday night.A policeman, too, is …
By Chitra Weerarathne Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitya yesterday granted bail to Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman, Dhammika Ranatunga, suspected of abusing and threatening media personnel near the Colombo High Court No. 7 on March 16, 2016. The bail was in two sureties of Rs. 100,000 each. The Chief Magistrate observed that the suspect was …
By P.K.Balachandran Legal and political means having failed to save former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa from the numerous corruption cases against him, his followers have, in sheer desperation, resorted to the traditional Lankan weapon of “ritual cursing” to destroy the tormentor. According to University of Princeton Anthropologist Prof. Gananath Obeysekere, “ritual cursing” in Lanka …
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Television content provider Astro has set the Guinness World Record for the “Longest Live Streamed Festival” with 55 hours of non-stop live-streaming of this year’s Hindu Thaipusam festival. Astro Ulagam, an Indian entertainment news and event hub which is a part of Astro Malaysia Holdings Bhd, was used as a platform to …
By Saman Indrajith Party leaders yesterday decided to withdraw their plan to grant increased allowances to MPs in the face of growing countrywide displeasure. The decision had been taken at the party leaders meeting at the Parliamentary Complex with Speaker Karu Jayasuriya presiding, parliament sources said. The party leaders agreed not to submit the proposal …
By Saman Indrajith UPFA Colombo District MP Udaya Gammanpila’s knowledge of Hindi language was questioned by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament yesterday. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe asked whether MP Gammanpila knew at least three Hindi words. MP Gammanpila raised a question pertaining to a statement made to the Indian Parliament by that country’s Minister of …
By P.K.Balachandran With an eye on the vast European market, India’s largest bicycle manufacturer Hero Cycles has bought a 60 percent stake in BSH Ventures Pvt Ltd., Sri Lanka’s largest bicycle maker with license to make Raleigh cycles. Confirming this, BSH Ventures’ Chairman Jeyam Perumal told Express on Wednesday that the Chairman of Hero Cycles …