Apr 2 (EN) Intense campaigning and lobbying by the two seniormost officers in the police to replace outgoing IGP N. K. Illangakoon has led to a split within the ranks. Senior DIG Pujith Jayasundara has launched the most intense social media campaign to drum up support for his cause and published his own website last month. His main rival, Senior DIG S. M. Wickramasinghe, has no known facebook campaign, but more..

Apr 2 (DN) Even before the first ball was bowled in the World T20 tournament in India it was quite evident that a troubled Sri Lanka team was not going to go too far. Although hopes were high that things would turn out for the better they were only faint ones. In a game like the T20 no one can write off a team right at the beginning of any tournament however disjointed and under-prepared they may be as it was in the case of Sri Lanka. For starters the team took off to India surrounded by more..

Apr 2 (PTI) World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga slammed the local cricket administration for the sorry state of the game in the country. "The game has gone under bookies and other questionable characters," Ranatunga said. "I am hoping to meet the President and the PM soon to brief them", Ranatunga who is also the Ports and Shipping Minister said. He was critical of the action to replace the selection committee after the original committee had picked the World T20 squad. more..

Apr 2 (DW) Two Sri Lankan Tamils tell DW how they were rounded up after the civil war ended, and tortured. They hope to pressure the govt to bring in foreign judges to investigate war crimes allegations. 34-year-old Mayairan, from Mullaitivu was studying in Malaysia when his country's 26-year-long civil war ended in May 2009. LTTE, which had fought ferociously for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east, was more..

Apr 2 (DN) The stuff of governance is turning away from the challenges of political debate and rhetoric to that of real governance. If the recent islandwide blackout due to the power breakdown gave an important alarm signal, there are other matters being revealed that are an exposure of the record of bad governance in the Rajapaksa years, much better than the exchanges in the field of political debate. The divide within the SLFP continues, with President Sirisena certainly gaining the upper hand, more..

Apr 2 (EN) Five projects to set up mini-hydro power plants in Sri Lanka�s were among 16 new agreements the BoI signed with investors in the first two months of 2016. The investment promotion agency said the 16 agreements represent a cumulative future investment of 110 million US dollars and will be generating an estimated 1,250 new direct employment opportunities. BOI said the Mini Hydro Power projects will boost energy capacity with the island which is facing a power crisis more..

Apr 2 (Hindu) P. Thigambaram, Minister for Hill-Country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development, on Friday exchanged letters with India�s High Commissioner Y.K. Sinha on the construction of 4,000 houses in Central and Uva Provinces, where the hill-country Tamils live in large numbers. Funded by Indian govt, the project is part of a programme to build 50,000 houses in the country, of which 46,000 units more..

Apr 2 (NS) Richard Clayderman, the French Classical Pianist is set to perform in Sri Lanka at the Nelum Pokuna on April 8. The concert is being organized by Hussain Shirufaz of Helix Krest Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. The event is managed by Beats International. The best-selling record artiste and concert performer has established for himself a status as the most successful French act to have ever forged for himself a success beyond that of any other French musician, globally. more..

Apr 2 (AM) A Fundamental Rights petition was filed with the Supreme Court today seeking an order declaring the govt purpotedly formed after the Aug 17, 2015 election is not a national govt. The petition was filed by Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara and Prof Wimaladharma Abeywickrama on behalf of the Joint Opposition. The petitioners argue that according to the constitution, a national govt should be formed by the largest party or independent group in Parliament and other parties. more..

Apr 2 (EN) Japan�s aid agency is to do an electricity sector master plan for SL�s power utility to forecast demand and supply for the next 25 years and the introduction of new forms of energy. The one-year study by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will cover power generation, transmission and distribution while taking into account environmental and social aspect of electricity supply, JICA Representative more..

Apr 2 (DM) In the case filed by Attorney Nishan Premthiratne claiming damages for serious breach of contract at the recently concluded Enrique Concert, Court ordered Live Events Pvt Ltd to declare its assets and the total earnings made from the ticket sales in the Enrique Iglesias: Sex and Love concert held in December last year. Mr. Premathiratne and his wife have filed two separate cases seeking damages charging that company had failed to fulfil the undertaking it had made. more..

Apr 2 (AD) Former Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who was arrested in connection with the murder of ex-MP Joseph Pararajasingham, has been further remanded until April 28. The bail application filed on behalf of the defendant was rejected by the Batticaloa Magistrate�s Court, when the case was taken up today (1). Pillayan was arrested on October 11, 2015 when he arrived at the CID to give a statement in connection with assassination more..

Apr 2 (NS) Polls monitors have warned that they would go to the Supreme Court due to Govt�s continuous delay in conducting the LG polls. PAFFREL last week observed that the Govt was using issues with the delimitation conducted by the Delimitation Commission appointed by the former Govt, as an excuse to continuously postpone the elections. Therefore, PAFFREL informed that they would file a case in the Supreme Court, if more..

Apr 2 (DM) The CID will record a statement from former Minister G.L. Peiris today at 10 p.m. over his remarks about the discovery of suicide jackets, explosives and some ammunition at a house in Chavakachcheri, Jaffna recently. Former minister said there was speculation these were intended for Colombo, and that the authorities concerned should investigate it thoroughly. Cabinet Spokesman Gayantha Karunatilake said former Minister should be questioned over what he said. more..

Apr 2 (CT) The suicide jacket discovered in Chavakachcheri recently is nearly five years old, a Terrorism Investigations Division (TID) probe has found. Police said the suspect apprehended in connection with the discovery is still being interrogated. A suicide jacket and a stock of explosives and ammunition were recovered during a raid conducted on a house in Maravanpulo, Chavakachcheri on Wednesday. Police raided the house following a tip-off. more..

Apr 2 (DM) The largest ever heroin haul in the sea, 101 kg of heroin was nabbed by the Sri Lanka Navy and the Police Narcotic Bureau in a joint operation carried out in the sea off southern Sri Lanka on Wednesday, the Navy said. The Navy said search operations are still continuing to identify the culprits involved in the smuggling which had allegedly being operated by Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Afghanistan agents in collaboration. more..

Apr 2 (PSL) A special meeting to get ideas, proposals and suggestions from economists, scholars and public officials for formulation of future economic plans to build a contented and peaceful society and an exemplary nation with high income by achieving sustainable development by 2030, was held yesterday (31) under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena. Discussion themed Economy and the Way Forward of Sri Lanka was participated by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, more..

Apr 2 (DN) Health authorities have taken legal action against 1,050 mosquito breeders during the first three days of countrywide National Mosquito Control week. The Inspectors had identified 5,378 places with dengue mosquito larvae and issued notices on 14,401 premises with possible mosquito breeding sites. Teams inspected 348,508 premises countrywide during the past three days of the programme. All 348 MOH areas have been divided into three zones and 30 high risk areas have more..

Apr 2 (LBO) The final decision on Value Added Tax will be taken by next Friday, State Finance Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said. �No decision has been taken yet. It will be decided next Friday,� he said. Inland Revenue Department has issued a notice to the VAT registered persons saying the applicable VAT rate is 11% until further notice. 2016 budget initially proposed a duel band VAT system with 8% and 12.5%. more..

Apr 2 (DM) As the week long national dengue prevention week ended yesterday, stinging figures were given by Epidemiology Unit. It said that from January to March this year, 13,275 suspected dengue cases were reported from all parts of the country. About 52.50% of dengue cases were reported from the Western Province. Unit said, it was essential to remove possible mosquito breeding sites and advised patients to seek medical attention in the event of fever by day 3 of the illness. more..

Apr 2 (DM) Production and application of knowledge, development of techniques of all forms and the adoption of more efficient organizational forms have helped modern societies to drastically reduce difficult, dangerous and monotonous labour while at the same time dramatically improving productivity in all spheres of human activity. While people in primitive societies, spent much of their time to secure basic necessities of life, colonization of large parts of the world more..

Apr 2 (ST) Arrests are being made over dengue breeding sites as despite high mortality rates piles of rubbish, discarded containers collecting water and uncleaned premises continue to act as fertile breeding grounds for mosquitoes. �The reason we resorted to making arrests is because it would make people take notice and this makes them take extra precautions,� Director of Environmental Police Division Quintus Raymond said more..

Apr 2 (SL) Over the last ten years, politicians, monks and several influential individuals are alleged to have smuggled baby elephants from the wild. Even though some of the suspects were arrested and released on bail, there are more cases that should be brought to light, the Anti-Corruption Front (ACF) has said. Senior Consultant ACF, Keerthi Tennakoon said that this is a large-scale racket in which several high profile individuals more..

Apr 2 (Island) Northern Governor Reginald Cooray 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. He said that the LTTE, too, had seized land by evicting people. However, today the focus was only on land taken over by the military. Former MP pointed out that the LTTE as well as other armed groups had carried out indiscriminate more..

Apr 2 (Island) FSP supporters yesterday stormed the Immigration and Emigration Office at Punchi Borella. Protesters accused the Immigration and Emigration of facilitating a govt project to expel their leader Kumar Gunaratnam (49) arrested by the govt on a charge of violating Immigration and Emigration laws. Gunaratnam was arrested last November for overstaying his visa. more..

Apr 2 (Island) Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi has dismissed TNA heavyweight Suresh Premachandran�s assertion that 5,000 strong SLA contingent would be adequate for the entire Northern Province. Hettiarachchi pointed out that in line with Premachandran�s thinking, he would say that army, navy and air force deployment, too, should be restricted to 5,000 each in the province. more..

Apr 2 (EN) Court of Appeal has quashed the elections for the governing body of Sri Lanka's automobile sports, where Carlton Motor Sports Club voted, declaring the polls illegal and prohibited its executive committee from holding office. An office bearer of Carlton Motor Sports Club, who was not eligible to vote, was also a member of the executive council of SL Automobile Sports, governing body for motor sports in the island. more..

Apr 2 (DM) Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran in response to a statement made by the JHU said yesterday he was bent on national reconciliation and was contributing his mite towards promoting it. JHU organizer Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe recently claimed that the Chief Minister�s behaviour was a hindrance to national reconciliation and that he was displaying racist and separatist ideologies. more..

Apr 2 (IANS) With Tamil separatism crushed, one of Sri Lanka's oldest Tamil militant groups-turned-party has decided to shed from its name the words Eelam and Liberation. One of the two factions of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) is set to announce the decision on Saturday. Tamil sources said that the name change had become necessary in view of the radically changed scenario in Sri Lanka more..

Apr 2 (DM) A Special Administrative Unit is to be established by the Power and Renewable Energy Ministry to look into the operations of the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai, Deputy Minister of Power and Renewable Energy Ajith P. Perera said yesterday. Currently, the operations of the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant are handled and coordinated by the CEB officials in Colombo. more..

Apr 2 (LBO) The Board of Investment of Sri Lanka has signed 16 new project agreements for the first two months of this year. The said agreements represent a cumulative future investment of US$ 110 million. The investment office further said these projects will be generating an estimated 1,250 new direct employment opportunities. These projects cover a wide range of sectors as outlined below. more..

Apr 2 (SL) In publicly daring the present govt leadership to hand him over power if they cannot run it, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has also shifted the nation�s political gears from war-victory, accountability issues and to a lesser extent, political reconciliation, to larger yet basic issues of governance. Though on other aspects of governance issues, the Rajapaksas continue to be in the dock on allegations of corruption, nepotism and political high-handedness, more..

Apr 2 (CT) Political scientist Harold Lasswell once noted, �The open interplay of opinion and policy is the distinguishing mark of popular rule.� �Public opinion plays a number of important roles in a representative democracy. Leaders can take public opinion into account when making laws and formulating policy. Public opinion can act as a check on leadership, as the members of the public can express their dissatisfaction with politicians who refuse to take their opinions into account more..

Apr 2 (CT) 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 by a foreign power or for some other reason. I never had a reply to that argument, obviously because at the theoretical level that argument is unassailable. more..

Apr 2 (CT) One of the most surprising wins in the 2016 T20 World Cup hosted by India is perhaps Afghanistan's unexpected knock against crowd favourites, West Indies. However, when they first entered the tournament, Windies themselves were on uncertain footing but with its comprehensive win against India on Thursday night, they regained their reputation as a team to be reckoned with. Sri Lanka won the 2014 T20 World Cup beating India but this time, after humiliating defeat at Asia Cup, more..

Apr 2 (LT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is making plans to hand over Norochcholai coal power station, Maththala Airport and Hambantota harbour to China in a bid to settle loans Sri Lanka has taken from China and he would visit China for this purpose says the Leader of the JVP Anura Dissanayaka. Stating that the manner the present govt is confronting the economic breakdown in the country is disastrous he severely criticized more..

Apr 2 (PSL) Programme to develop facilities at temples in the district under the Pibidemu Polonnaruwa (Awakening of Polonnaruwa) District Development Project was commenced today (1), from the Dimbulagala Aranya Senasanaya. President Sirisena held a special discussion to look into the development activities of the Aranya Senasanaya including the construction works of the Piriven Dharmshala building. Maha Sangha including Ven. Tirikunamale Ananda Thero, more..

Apr 2 (CI) The ICC's attempts to reform the cricket structure in the USA are taking another step forward with plans to hold player combine trials in eight cities from April through June. ICC Americas high performance consultant Tom Evans and former Australia fielding coach Mike Young will head the evaluation panel with other coaches from the West Indies Cricket Board and Cricket Australia also expected to take part in each city. Last September, a regional ICC Americas combine was held in more..

Apr 2 (NS) Terrorism experts last week warned that the dismantling of the security installations in the North and the East sans proper prior security assessment, at a time when the LTTE was still active internationally, could help dormant cells of the organization to re-emerge. In response to recent incidents in Chavakachcheri and Mannar, where the Police seized suicide jackets and a stock of ammunition, events which raised concerns more..