Apr 24 (Island) NK Illangakoon left office amidst a host of accolades and plaudits. Civil society, the media and even the political establishment sang praises of him. From a public standpoint, there was a touch of pathos about his departure. He left impressions of impeccable standards, moral courage and a reputation of being a no nonsense IGP to those within and without. Where many in the public service in recent times had been incapable of withstanding interference, more..

Apr 24 (Island) The email, automatically generated by the professional social media network LinkedIn, asked me to congratulate a friend on a new position. Normally, I would have. On this occasion, though I chose to ignore LinkedIn�s recommended action, I couldn�t ignore the nature of the position or the context in which it was offered, and clearly, accepted. To fully understand what is inexcusably wrong with governance today, one needs to recall the not so distant past and more..

Apr 24 (LBO) Sri Lanka will move ahead with development projects that generate revenue while strengthening accountability of state institutions to Parliament. Projects such as the Mattala airport and Hambantota harbour will be developed to generate revenue, State Minister Niroshan Perera, said. �If you take large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Mattala airport and the Hambantota harbour, we have to tie them to income generating activities. more..

Apr 24 (SO) Third round of negotiations to finalise the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between China and Sri Lanka is expected to commence shortly. Chinese Ambassador in SL Yi Xianliang said that China is backing the early conclusion of talks for an FTA between the two traditional good neighbours. During PM Ranil Wickremesinghe�s recent visit to Beijing, which he said, helped the two leaders to reach a broad consensus to develop bilateral ties, both sides have agreed to more..

Apr 24 (ST) Govt has set a target of Rs. 886 billion revenue from taxes with the biggest contribution expected from vehicle import duties amounting to Rs. 280 billion. Govt is also expecting Rs. 125 billion via import tax followed by Rs. 95 billion from port and airport development levy (PAL), Rs. 85 billion from excise duties, Rs. 75 billion from VAT, Rs. 65 billion from special commodity levy (SCL) and Rs. 54 billion from import Cess levy. Finance Ministry has prepared letters, more..

Apr 24 (ST) Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has been instructed to continue to provide fuel to the loss-making SriLankan Airlines despite the outstanding bills running to more than Rs 8,000 million, with the Treasury paying up the bills, officials said. The decision was taken this week at a meeting attended by Minister Chandima Weerakkody and officials of the Treasury, the CPC and SriLankan Airlines to discuss the repayment of outstanding debts. more..

Apr 24 (Island) Aitken Spence Travels surpassed previous year�s 100,000 arrivals recording 129,000 visitors, solidifying the potential of Destination SL. Aitken Spence, SL�s largest destination management company, closed the 2015/16 financial year recording the highest tourist volume handled by a single local travel company. "Aitken Spence Travels delivered on the daunting task of following up last year�s benchmark of 108,000 passengers, with a landmark 129,000 inbound arrivals," more..

Apr 24 (Island) A tragic incident, where a 44-year-old motorcyclist and a stray dog he knocked, were both killed was reported from Mahamodara in Galle last week. The victim identified as Gammudu Wattage Ratnasiri of Meepawala, Poddala, was riding towards Matara on the Galle Road when the unexpected happened. A stray dog suddenly crossed his path and, in a fraction of a second, the bike struck the canine and hurled the rider on to the hard tar road. more..

Apr 24 (CG) Sri Lankan Govt dos not support calls for the United States to arrest former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse. Minister Kabir Hashim said that any allegations raised against a Sri Lankan citizen over a domestic issue must be dealt with only under local laws. �We will not allow a domestic issue to be dealt with internationally owing to outside pressure, he said. In an appeal to US President Barack Obama last week, two major Tamil groups more..

Apr 24 (Reuters) Lebara, the mobile phone group often seen selling SIM cards to new arrivals at major railway stations in Europe, says its knowledge of a group largely ignored by major brands will help it also sell digital services like online TV to them. The privately owned group targets the thousands of people who arrive in London, Amsterdam and other European cities from South Asia, West Africa and eastern Europe each year by putting itself right in the path of its customers. more..

Apr 24 (GDI) A high profile business delegation from Turkey will visit Sri Lanka next month to participate in the Sri Lanka - Turkey Business Forum that will be organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. The forum, which is aimed at exploring trade, investment and tourism opportunities on both sides, will be followed by B2B meetings between the visiting Turkish businessmen and their SL counterparts, the Ceylon Chamber said. The visiting delegation is expecting to meet with local businesses, more..

Apr 24 (CG) Govt insists it will not allow the country to be divided or National security to be placed in jeopardy. State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardena said that while the Govt and politicians in the North may discuss devolution of power, it will not be done at the expense of harming the unity of the country. The NPC had last week called for a separate State for Tamil speaking people. Wijewardena however said the Govt will take all measures to protect the unity of Sri Lanka more..

Apr 25 (GV) January 2015 saw a momentous change in Sri Lanka. After nearly 10 years of increasingly authoritarian rule, a new govt promising change was voted into office. The new govt immediately set about righting many of the wrongs of the previous Rajapaksa govt, including an openness toward independent domestic organizations and the international community. As a clear marker of the sea change, the new govt agreed to key undertakings on transitional more..

Apr 25 (CT) At the famous pub in Bridgetown UK yesterday, my regular drinking partner, the Sri Lankan Tamil fellow Sivapuranam Thevaram and I were setting puzzles to each other. It was my turn first and I asked him a question I had remembered from back in 1985, around the time the one pound paper note in the UK was replaced by a coin: What is the similarity between Margaret Thatcher and a pound coin? Even decades after her premiership ended, some of us have the habit of regularly more..

Apr 25 (SO) European Commission last week gave the initial clearance to resume Sri Lanka�s fisheries exports to the 28 nation-strong region, lifting a ban that was clamped down since Jan 2015, depriving the country of US $100 million per annum in foreign exchange. Congratulating Sri Lanka�s achievement, EU Ambassador in Colombo David Daly said, Sri Lanka and EU developed an exceptional partnership through past months more..

Apr 25 (CT) The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has issued a response to an article which this writer had published in this series earlier. This writer�s article had questioned the logic and economic rationale of the loose monetary policy being pursued by the Monetary Board at a time when there is a serious economic crisis looming over the nation. These issues were raised with the Monetary Board because it is the board which has been incorporated and charged under the Monetary Law Act more..

Apr 25 (ST) A new testament of the faith to be hopefully observed by those deified mortals who dwell in the pantheon of the people�s sovereignty was handed out to them two days before the dawn of the New Year to be perused during the holiday break, suggestions made and to be returned to the Speaker�s office within two weeks marked duly read. Now the holiday break is over, the two weeks are up tomorrow and any day this week the MPs will be expected by the Speaker to hand in their more..

Apr 25 (SL) Renowned academic Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri says that there is no need for a large cabinet, which the present govt is building, and notes that it is being done with the intention of solidifying the president�s position within the SLFP and winning over the Joint Opposition members. He said that other than that, it is not intended to benefit the country at all. He said that with regard to reconciliation, there are a lot of more..

Apr 25 (Island) An oft-heard lament is that Sri Lanka�s justice system is tardy. Some cases drag on for decades on end as is public knowledge. Lawyers like Arabs are said to live on dates. However, the legal fraternity alone cannot be blamed for this situation; there are lapses on the part of judicial officers and the police as well. Several years ago, then Minister of Justice Athauda Seneviratne revealed that a land case he was involved in had dragged on for forty long years! more..

Apr 25 (SO) No less a person than the previous President Rajapaksa has proclaimed that the times selected by astrologers as propitious for the start of the New Year on April 13 around 7 p.m., the hearth to be lit at 8.06 and the first meal partaken of at 8.58 at night, was incorrect. The colour selected for donning while lighting the hearth and eating the first meal � green - was also pronounced inauspicious and the accusation made that the times and colour were selected with a political agenda in mind. more..

Apr 25 (ST) The regular posturing by the so-called Rajapaksa-led Joint Opposition calling for the upholding of democratic rights in Sri Lanka must be treated with the rightful contempt that it deserves. Even as sanctimonious hypocrisy drips off the tongues of these worthies when they speak with fervor on multifarious topics, ranging from the appointments of the Attorney General and the IGP to contemplated tax increases, let us remind them of some salient home truths. more..

Apr 25 (Island) The govt does not have a proper direction or consistent policy to drive the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) to boost investor confidence, which is now dropping drastically, president, Colombo Stock Brokers Association (CSBA) Ravi Abeysuriya said. "The govt should have proper strategies and policies to meet all the govt expenses and to address macro economic issues, which is now the need of the hour to salvage the economy from this bad situation, Abeysuriya said. more..

Apr 25 (ST) Besides the Australian tour of Sri Lanka scheduled for July this year, the two teams will meet once again in February next year in Australia for a three-match T-20 series. In February next year, the Lankans will be going through an off peak season � following their gruelling full tour of South Africa that would keep the Lankan national cricketers occupied from Dec 2016 to Jan 2017. In Feb 2017, Australians are scheduled to more..

Apr 25 (Island) With the national cricket team going through many struggles, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will be tempted to ask their former captain Kumar Sangakkara to come out of retirement after he compiled an unblemished century for his country Surrey against Somerset in a Division I County Championship game at The Oval yesterday. The 38-year-old Sangakkara, who served a short stint as a national selector, was playing only his second game for the county this season. more..

Apr 25 (DN) Rain played an unwelcome hand in almost all opening games of Super U19 Provincial tournament 2016 forcing tepid ends in all four games. Only the match between Western Province South U19 and North central Province U19 produced some sort of a result as WP South recorded a first-innings win whilst the rest ended in no-result. A dominant bowling spell followed by Mishen Silva�s blistering century helped WP South claim much needed first innings points over more..

Apr 25 (DN) Legendary batsman Kumar Sangakkara blamed Sri Lanka Cricket and its administrators for failing to arrest the slump the national team is currently going through. Sri Lanka�s performance has dipped in all three formats of the game after the retirements of Mahela and Sangakkara from international cricket. It was quite evident from their pretty woeful defence of their World T20 title in India, where SL won only more..

Apr 25 (Island) Two news items on the economy of the country which appeared in The Island recently prompted me to write this. One was a press release issued by the leader of an IMF team, Todd Schneider, who visited Colombo during March 31- April 11 to hold discussions with the govt on its request for a loan. The other was a news item on a statement made by the Governor of the Central Bank at a press briefing. IMF team has observed: "Macroeconomic performance in 2015 more..

Apr 25 (DM) Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam has on Saturday (23) ordered the Central Cultural Fund and the Department of Archaeology to investigate the incident of damage caused to the Sigiriya paintings when cello tape pasted on the plaster for some rehabilitation activity was being removed. When the journalists visited the site on Sunday to observe about the incident they had not been allowed to enter the relevant cave and to take photos. more..

Apr 25 (HCI) India is seeking more land in Sri Lanka to build 2866 houses for families working in the estate sector in the country. The High Commissioner of India, Y. K. Sinha, and P. Thigambaram, Minister of Hill Country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development jointly laid the foundation stone for the third phase of the Indian Housing Project at the Dunsinane estate today in the presence of Ministers more..

Apr 25 (ST) The liabilities in the bond market by Entrust Securities, a primary market dealer under-fire since early this year, is at Rs. 9 billion and not Rs. 5 billion as earlier estimated, latest data revealed. Informed sources told the Business Times that Entrust has some Rs. 5.3 billion that it owes to just three institutions � and the two on top of the list are the Central Bank (CB) and the CEB. �Entrust owes Rs. 2.2 billion to CB and Rs. 1.8 billion to CEB,� a source said. more..

Apr 25 (Island) As identified by Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2016, which is a Report produced annually by Asian Development Bank (ADB), the developing Asia will continue to contribute at least 60% for the growth of the world. With slower growth in US and Euro zone together with transition taking place in China and reforms in India, ADO forecasts a growth rate of 5.7% in developing Asia for the year 2016 and 2017. Developing Asia consists of 45 economies listed under ADB. more..

Apr 25 (DM) Foreign Minister of Sweden Margot Wallstrom appreciated the work of the new govt of re-establishing democracy and said the country has marked a significant progress. During a brief discussion held with the Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Harsha De Silva, the visiting Sweden Minister said she would be looking forward to discuss with the President and Prime Minister during the discussion to be held today (25). more..

Apr 25 (ITN) Police have arrested the main suspect of the 14 billion apparel theft in Anuradhapura. Hidhogama Police recently found a stock of apparels valuing 14 billion rupees stolen from a garment factory at Nelum-bewa area in Anuradhapura. These apparels are produced only to be sold overseas. Police said that the stock of apparels were found from a garment factory in the area. Police had earlier arrested a woman and two suspects in connection with the theft. more..

Apr 25 (GDI) National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) will hold a session on Bilateral Trade between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The seminar will be held on Thursday 28 April from 3.00 to 4.30 p.m. at the National Chamber Auditorium on D R Wijewardene Mawatha in Colombo. High Commissioner of Pakistan to SL Major General (Retd) Syed Shakeel Hussain will be the Special Guest Speaker. He will be assisted by the Deputy High Commissioner Dr. Sarfraz Khan Sipra. more..

Apr 25 (EN) SL's power regulator has denied a request by CEB to procure 55 MegaWatts of emergency power. Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) told the CEB that its request to buy 55 MW of emergency power was not in line with the approval given by Cabinet and was not in line with its least cost power generation expansion plan. PUCSL said 20 MW of additional capacity beyond what was approved by the Cabinet. more..

Apr 25 (DN) Prof. Arjuna de Silva has been appointed South Asian Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (SARADO) Chairman. The appointment has been hailed as a vote of confidence of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for the hard work done by SL. The appointment is for a period of four years. Academic and physician, Professor de Silva is currently the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency. He is also Head of the Department of Medicine, more..

Apr 25 (DN) The World Bank will release its report on Stitches to Riches, a study on apparel employment, trade and economic development in South Asia. South Asia is in the midst of a demographic transition. For the next three decades, the growth of the region�s working age population will far outpace the growth of dependents, a World Bank report has stated in its latest findings. Significant insights in to South Asia�s burgeoning labour market have been revealed more..

Apr 25 (DM) President Maitripala Sirisena said he would not have accepted the chairmanship of SLFP had he had any foreknowledge of the harassment he would be subjected to when running the party's affairs. Addressing a political meeting, he said he assumed that he would receive the same degree of cooperation enjoyed by the party�s past leaders when he was elected to the post, with members having raised both hands. more..

Apr 25 (Hindu) The NPC, which has reiterated the position of Tamil parties for a merger of the North and the East, is not for special powers to be provided to the proposed State, according to its chairperson C.V.K. Sivagnanam. On the significance of the resolution adopted on Friday, Mr. Sivagnanam told The Hindu that �our demand for federalism should not be misconstrued as something in favour of separatism. Let the Central govt share power with all the States or Provinces uniformly. more..