Feb 20 (SO) Co-Cabinet Spokesman, Plantation Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said that there are certain different ideas among some coalition parties of the SLPP led political alliance and that is quite natural. However, there is no split within the Govt. Minister in an interview said that there are about 11 constituent parties in the Govt. However, one should not forget the fact that the SLPP alone has 125 seats in Parliament. more..

Feb 20 (ST) Govt�s seemingly incessant woes now shift from seeking loans and swaps from overseas and tiding over the foreign currency crisis to challenging Western crusaders on a veritable inquisition against the country, particularly against the Rajapaksa I, and now the Rajapaksa II Govts. A bound indictment from the UNHRC � once called a body motivated by political bias rather than human rights � has been delivered this week at Republic Square where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs more..

Feb 20 (GV) The former Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan, emphasized that terrorism strikes at the very heart of everything the UN stood for and it was a global threat to democracy, the rule of law, human rights and stability and therefore required a global response. From a global perspective, it can be narrowed down to country-specific situations. His concerns are ours too and thus we need to legally manage counterterrorism domestically. However, such laws should not annihilate core values more..

Feb 20 (TM) The news of traders spraying a chemical to induce ripening in bananas caught the attention of many recently. The question of consumers being purposely poisoned by traders for profit sprung up, as media outlets started to question the company that was selling the product. However, the use of ripening agents in the food industry in Sri Lanka is not new. In the �80s households were warned about more..

Feb 20 (SO) China and Sri Lanka marked two important anniversaries this month. They are the 70th anniversary of the Rubber-Rice Pact and the 65th anniversary of the establishment of China-SL diplomatic relations on Feb 7, 1957. Several ceremonies have been held in both countries to mark the two momentous events. A ceremony was held last week with the participation of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to mark the two major milestones, more..

Feb 20 (TM) Ever since the beginning of the three-decade-long war, SL has rarely been out of the global spotlight. But it is indeed a matter of regret for the nation as a whole that the greater share of this unprecedented global exposure has been for all the wrong reasons. The positive stories have been few and far between and could easily be counted on one�s fingers as opposed to the negative stories, which unfortunately are beyond count. This is one reason why during the period since more..

Feb 20 (ST) My dear Basil maama, I thought of writing to you now even though you must be a busy man. Not only do you have to hold the purse strings of the nation, you have to do so on a shoestring budget. Then, in the midst of all that, you have to look after the fortunes of the pohottuwa as well, because you are the best man to do so. You may not be aware, Basil maama, but people are not quite happy with what the pohottuwa chaps have done over the past two years. more..

Feb 20 (Island) Election talk has once more entered the political space with news reports last week speculating, rightly or wrongly we do not know, of various politicians talking to each other about forging alliances. The ruling SLPP a couple of weeks ago held what appeared from television images to be a well attended political rally at Anuradhapura. Both the president and prime minister made campaign-style speeches there, triggering a belief that some kind of election is not far away. more..

Feb 20 (ST) For the SL embassy in Beijing, China, this year is special for many reasons. First, this year marks the 65th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations with China and the 70th anniversary of Rubber-Rice Pact. In addition to that, SL�s ambassador Palitha Kohona is actively promoting Chinese investment in the country and played a critical role in facilitating the recent Chinese currency swap deals to boost more..

Feb 20 (Island) Writing to the Daily Mirror, Ahilan Kadirgamar observes that the rise of pro-free market and neoliberal policy think-tanks signify a shift away from analysing agriculture and food which research centres focused on four decades ago. I would agree and add that it signifies a shift from industrial and industrialisation strategies as well. While four decades ago policy symposiums seemed awash with agrarian and industrial research, today they are about budget deficits, more..

Feb 20 (SO) SL�s tennis girls finished unbeaten and qualified to the next round to be held in Thailand when they crushed Nepal 3-0 in the 14 and under ITF World Junior Asia/Oceania qualifying round played at the SLTA courts yesterday. The two singles and the doubles matches were won easily by the SL lasses when they defeated their opponents without giving away a single set. Meanwhile, the boys� team finished fourth when they lost to Pakistan 0-3 yesterday as they could not win a single set more..

Feb 20 (CT) Bangladeshi High Commissioner to SL, Tareq Md Ariful Islam, who was appointed to SL in late 2020, was the Deputy Permanent Representative in the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN in New York between 2016 and 2020. A career diplomat, who joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1998, Ariful Islam says in Bangladesh, tackling terrorism is not politicised, but treated as a social issue. more..

Feb 20 (Island) SL�s premier connectivity provider, Dialog Axiata has partnered with SL Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) to conduct a first ever Under 14 development 7s tourney to expand the sport and attract talent from schools other than the traditional rugby playing schools. Dialog Schools Development 7s 2022 tourney with the participation of 40, U-14 school teams from six provinces will kick-off today at the Ruwanwella Rugby Grounds and on the 13 March at the Pallekelle more..

Feb 20 (CI) Two matches in to the series, it seemed like Sri Lanka were going to make Australia sweat. In both those games their bowling restricted an explosive Australia middle order, and the second game went to a Super Over. Since then, though, Sri Lanka have lost key players to either injury or Covid-19, and Australia have cruised home twice. SL's main problem is their batting. With Charith Asalanka struggling to produce the sorts of innings he lit up the T20 World Cup with, more..

Feb 20 (SO) More than 300 boys and girls from 16 schools in the southern province turned up at a coaching camp conducted by Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) which said it was one of the biggest show-ups for a promotion of the sport in recent years. More than 280 boys and more than 30 girls were part of the clinic that taught them the basics of what has become the world�s fastest growing sport for women. Head of SLR Rizly Illyas along with the president of the Ruhunu Provincial Rugby Football Union more..

Feb 20 (SO) When the England cricket team landed in Colombo in February 1982 for SL�s maiden Test match, Ian Botham was their biggest star. Just six months prior to that, Botham had become the cynosure of all eyes when he played a couple of stunning knocks to secure the Ashes as England snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. So much so, the 1981 Ashes is known as Botham�s Ashes. This week marks the 40th anniversary of SL�s inaugural Test match and Arjuna Ranatunga more..

Feb 20 (ST) State tourism bodies have been operating for the past one-and-a-half months without proper board appointments. Appointments to the boards of the tourism bodies are yet to happen as the Tourism Ministry Secretary has not seen what his Minister has sent and instead has urgently authorised reappointment of the Chairperson and two other ex-officio members to the boards. more..

Feb 20 (TM) Medium to lower category commercial banks in Sri Lanka will award lower dividends per share or higher scrip dividend in the face of the proposed Surcharge Tax, according to First Capital Head of Research Dimantha Mathew. On Thursday (17), Sampath Bank PLC declared that it would be giving Rs. 4.25 dividend per share, which is close to 50% increase from last year�s Rs. 2.75. Mathew said that all the banks had done better this year than the previous on profitability, but added that more..

Feb 20 (ST) Energy Ministry is awaiting Finance Ministry approval to register a new entity named Lanka National Petroleum Company (LNPC) to handle the upstream segment of the oil and gas industry which includes exploration, geological surveys and production. �As the word national is involved, the Registrar of Companies requires the go-ahead of the line ministry which, in this case, is Finance,� said Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila. �We are waiting for this to be granted." more..

Feb 20 (TM) The economy continues to test SL�s economic resilience on multiple fronts while the Government, led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, gears up to face the UNHRC at its impending 49th session in Geneva. The OHCHR last Monday (14) sent the High Commissioner�s observations on Sri Lanka, which would be officially presented to the Council on 3 March. more..

Feb 20 (ST) Sri Lanka�s public and private income generating institutions including groups of companies, partnerships, banks and individuals with taxable income of over Rs.2 billion will get a bashing from the 25% one-off Surcharge Tax inflicting a cascading effect on the economy, several tax experts said. This tax is aimed at collecting Rs.100 billion for government�s rural development initiative hitting profit-making public and private sector institutions alike, they explained. more..

Feb 20 (ST) UN Human Rights Commissioner�s 17-page report which makes further indictments on SL, will be debated at the UNHRC�s 49th sessions on March 3. This report, which was forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo, through UN channels last Monday, was studied by officials. Thereafter, they have sent to Geneva the Govt�s observations and explanations on several issues raised. Compared to last year�s report, that was followed by a resolution, more..

Feb 20 (Island) SL is facing multiple crises, worst of all a severe economic crisis that can end in bankruptcy. But some Govt policy makers are acting as if this is just a hiccup that will pass away and needs no properly targeted drastic action. For some strange reason the people have not been informed of the gravity of the situation and that a period of austerity with belt- tightening by the whole nation is necessary. Nearly all countries, rich and poor, big and small are faced with this situation. more..

Feb 20 (Island) A service of evening prayers was held at the Westminster Abbey last week to mark the occasion of the 74th Anniversary of Sri Lanka�s Independence. Archdeacon and Canon Steward, the Venerable Tricia Hillas read the first lesson, and the second lesson was read by High Commissioner Saroja Sirisena. During the service, prayers were offered to Sri Lanka, its leaders and people. In honour of the Evensong, Sri Lanka�s national flag was hoisted aloft the Westminster Abbey. more..

Feb 20 (EN) Sri Lanka has registered 2,300 SUVs and imported 10,000 tractors in 2021, data show as import controls prevented highly taxed imports like cars and three wheelers from coming into the country. SL banned imports of most automobiles including three wheelers and motorcycles which give large revenues to the state, as money printing ratcheted up from February 2021 (monetary stimulus) creating forex shortages. more..

Feb 20 (DM) The Kaduwela Police arrested four suspects involved in organized crimes in the Gothatuwa, Maharagama, Kaduwela and Kahathuduwa areas. SSP Nihal Thalduwa said the arrested suspects are aged between 21 and 43 and are residents of Mattegoda. The suspects were found in possession of four stolen motorcycles, a three wheeler, an air rifle used to intimidate the public during crimes, a locally made hand grenade and a foreign made hand grenade. more..

Feb 20 (TM) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) last week came to the aid of the State-owned power utility, CEB by facilitating a short-term loan of Rs. 250 million from LECO, in order to purchase fuel from the CPC to sustain power generation. The debt-ridden utility was unable to pay for fuel needed to fire thermal power plants and generators, which triggered brief power cuts on Friday (18) as several power plants and generator units ran out of furnace oil and diesel. more..

Feb 20 (TM) A Fundamental Rights (FR) petition, filed last week by former CID Director Shani Abeysekara, has alleged the involvement of Intelligence services in the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Involvement of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) in the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks has been revealed through this petition. Former CID Chief Abeysekara, filing this FR petition with more..

Feb 20 (TM) A proposal to increase the price of several gazetted drugs has been submitted to the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA). State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana said that the Pharmaceutical Importers� Chamber (PIC) had submitted a proposal to the NMRA to increase the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of a number of imported drugs. The request to increase was as a result of the increase in the rate of the US Dollar. �In 2016, MRP of 60 essential drugs were more..

Feb 20 (TM) Finance Ministry is yet to withdraw the controversial Gazette notification that imposes a 25% surcharge on the EPF and ETF, among several other pension taxes, through a draft Bill. However, The Sunday Morning learns that the decision to impose a surcharge tax on the EPF and ETF had been reversed following a Cabinet decision. State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said the Gazette was being challenged in Court and until a verdict was given, it could not be debated in Parliament more..

Feb 20 (ST) The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva last Monday forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through UN channels a 17-page draft report on Sri Lanka for perusal and comments. Officials there have been busy this week studying the provisions and formulating SL�s response. It was sent to Geneva before the deadline set for yesterday. more..

Feb 21 (ST) This week�s acquittal of former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former IGP Pujith Jayasundera of a plethora of charges filed against them by the Attorney General in connection to jihadist attacks on Colombo�s churches and hotels, completes the sorry circle of SL�s sham investigations into the Easter Sunday atrocity in 2019. This is the fate of virtually every criminal investigation, inclusive of the murder and abduction of Tamil or Muslim children, more..

Feb 21 (DM) Earlier this month, for over a week the health sector was paralysed by a strike called by the SL Federation for Health Professionals, who commenced its strike last Monday demanding solutions to 7 demands. Today the strike has been temporarily halted for a period of two weeks, after which unions had promised to recommence their Trade Union action in the event of the Govt�s failure to address their problems. Thousands of poor patients, who cannot afford exorbitant prices more..

Feb 21 (CT) The corruption and downfall of the KKS Cement Factory, which was once an iconic industry in South Asia, was recently documented by Ceylon Today. As a result of the conflict, it was damaged, and unscrupulous persons finally dismantled and sold the machinery as scrap. Some of them were taken away and sold by the Govt. Now the land is being cleared looking for an international investor for a joint venture. more..

Feb 21 (DM) Food, the most basic of our people�s needs for survival has now become scarce in SL. While it is shortages of supplies including milk powder that sets some people on a scrambling search, for marginalised people rising prices have put essential foods including even rice out of their reach. We have for long ignored the food system. The State dismantled the public distribution system of food by the early 1980s along with cuts to social welfare and its policies of trade Liberalisation more..

Feb 21 (CT) SL is in the throes of an unprecedented energy crunch, fuelled by a severe forex shortage and worsened by the absence of a coherent energy policy. State institutions responsible for providing uninterrupted supply of utilities to the public are plagued by constant backbiting, while the back-and-forth scenario when it comes to scheduled power cuts has inconvenienced consumers to a great extent. Contradicting its own order, given early last week, to CEB to manage the power crisis more..

Feb 21 (TM) Although the power sector remains one of the most challenged sectors at present, SL is currently looking into a number of potential solutions and is in the process of implementing several long-term, national plans that may help bring to an end the prolonged crisis in the energy sector. However, these initiatives will require proper planning in accordance with national agendas, newer and efficient laws and more..