Feb 23 (ST) Govts have been talking about it for ages; IMF has been pushing for it over many years but still nothing has been done. I am talking about restructuring of loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs) or selling them off, a conversation that has been had for many years but without any forward progress. The simple reason is that ruling parties consider it politically suicidal to reshape these entities since they have become reservoirs for ruling parties to pack these institutions with more..

Feb 23 (Island) The title of this article, and some of the material are in what I wrote (The Island, May 6th, 2013) when the then Rajapaksa government hiked the price of electricity on the May Day of 2013. A decade later, Wickremesinghe�s energy minister Wijesekera has increased the electricity tariffs, refusing to carry the burden of the energy bills of the CEB, which has had no vision whatever (i.e., no research arm). The CEB is beholden to corrupt politicians, various types of energy mafia, more..

Feb 23 (FT) The plaintiffs Sunil Thilakawardhana, and seven other companies under the Thilakawardhana Group instituted legal proceedings before the Commercial High Court of Colombo, on a plaint filed before it, against Thilakawardhana Solar Power Solutions Ltd, Thilakawardhana Construction Ltd. and T.C. Thilakawardhana Group Ltd. and the Court recently issued an Enjoining Order against all the defendants. The plaintiffs had set out in the plaint that Thilakawardhana Solar Power more..

Feb 23 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism said yesterday it will not opt for a global communication blitz in 2023 but focus on nine key markets identified to capitalise on the boost experienced by the industry over the past six months. �We are not going for a global campaign given the financial constraints. However, we are looking at nine top source markets to draw high-spending travellers to conduct an effective and holistic campaign to reach more..

Feb 23 (Roar) Modern SL�s most significant political attempt at finding a lasting solution to tensions between the two main ethnic groups � the Sinhalese and the Tamils � was the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987, which, among other changes, introduced the 13th Amendment. The amendment has come into sharper focus recently, with Prez Wickremesinghe promising a full implementation that has been avoided by previous leaders. Tensions between the Sinhalese & Tamils increased as more..

Feb 23 (Island) One�s gorge rises at the sight of cheap theatrics in Parliament, which has become a metaphor for hypocrisy. On Tuesday, the SJB MPs invaded the Well of the House, carrying placards and shouting slogans in protest against the govt�s efforts to delay the local govt elections. The dissident SLPP MPs cheered them on from the sidelines. The protesting MPs� consternation is understandable, and their show must have gladdened the hearts of all those who more..

Feb 23 (CT) Former skipper Angelo Mathews is likely to return to the ODI squad after lapse of two years for the upcoming SL tour of NZ slated to begin in March. There had been a buzz in the cricket fraternity when Mathews was dropped from the 50-over side, and many believe the 35-year-old has a lot more to offer to the team, especially after the recently concluded ODI series in India. SL�s batting was found in a state of bother when they failed to play out the 50 overs during their 3-0 loss, more..

Feb 23 (Island) Wickramabahu National School, Gampola athletes Nirmali Wickramasinghe and Dulanjana Pradeepani reached qualifying standards to represent Sri Lanka at the Asian Youth Athletics Championships as they won the first and second places of the 1500 metres in a tape finish at the selection trial held at Diyagama on Wednesday. Nirmali, who missed the qualifying time by milliseconds in the 800 metres on Tuesday came up with a spirited effort to stop the clock more..

Feb 23 (DM) Sri J'pura General Hospital (SJGH), the multi- specialty leading tertiary care hospital in the country is accused of allowing Consultants to exert unjust professional charges on patients at their own discretion. Alleged Corruptions that have plagued SJGH surfaced at the COPE meeting held on Dec 6, 2022. These were expressed based on AG�s reports. Although, details are not available whether more..

Feb 23 (FT) State Minister Kanaka Herath this week emphasised that now is the time to prioritise new research and scientific discoveries. In order to lay the foundation for the country�s economy to grow, he emphasised the importance of developing new scientific discoveries and products that are integrated with cutting-edge technology and can be exchanged as value-added commodities with the rest of the world. This comment was made on Tuesday when Bogala Graphite presented more..

Feb 23 (ST) With a view to keeping SL�s beautiful and pristine coastline immaculate, the govt is set to implement an innovative initiative of cleaning beaches in the country by using the machinery brought down to clean the coastal areas polluted by X-Press Pearl ship disaster. Aim is to minimise the involvement of labour to clean up the beach line as an initial step of this new initiative. This decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prez�s chief of staff Sagala Ratnayaka to discuss coast more..

Feb 23 (TM) SJB stated that the Party supports the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, noting that National Land and Police Commissions would control related provincial commissions so that no issues would arise. SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella said: �We are for the 13th Amendment. It was former Prez and incumbent Govt MP Mahinda Rajapaksa who said that the 13th Amendment is not enough, more..

Feb 23 (TM) Responding to the ultimatum given by trade unions and professional associations to revise the recent tax amendments in the backdrop of large scale protests which took place in this regard yesterday, State Minister Shehan Semasinghe ruled out that any changes to the tax policies will be done. Semasinghe said that the Govt is not in a position to make a revision on the tax amendments. �I can see that certain people who are protesting against the taxation are not liable to pay taxes. more..

Feb 23 (DM) Chairman of NMSJ Karu Jayasuriya yesterday appealed to all parties at this moment to stop all activities that may hinder the well-being of the country, at least for a certain period of time. �We believe that it is important for the Govt to listen to the people's sentiments and understand the issues well and resolve the issues through the Parliament. We would like to further point out the need to hold elections in a timely manner while respecting the people's opinion,� he said in a statement. more..

Feb 23 (Island) ESOL Premier Campus, the Higher Education division of ESOL College, has launched Linguaskill in SL for the 1st time, in partnership with Cambridge Uni Press & Assessment. Linguaskill is a quick and convenient online test to help organizations check the English language skills of individuals and or groups of candidates, powered by Artificial Intelligence technology. It tests all four language skills � speaking, writing, reading and listening � in modules. more..

Feb 23 (Island) There was no way the Health Minister could ensure the quality of the drugs that are not registered in SL, the President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS), Ravi Kumudesh said. Recently, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said in Kandy that it took between six to 12 months to bring down medicines with the approval of the National Medicines egulatory Authority (NMRA). To address the current shortage of drugs, the govt had imported drugs more..

Feb 23 (TM) Maradana-based Centre for Society and Religion (CSR) has informed the UNHRC in Geneva, regarding the Govt�s alleged failure to conduct proper investigations to bring those responsible for the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019 before the law and to fully publicise the report of the PCoI which investigated the said terror attacks. Speaking in front of UNHRC Hq in Geneva, CSR Chairman more..

Feb 23 (DN) The Mount Lavinia Police has launched an extensive investigation regarding the theft of a T-56 weapon with 120 rounds of ammunition and four ammunition holders, from the Ratmalana Air Force Base armoury. A high-ranking police officer said that the investigation was started based on a complaint lodged by Wing Commander Rohitha Perera, Supervising Officer of the Ratmalana Air Force Base, armoury, about this theft. The officer said that during preliminary investigations itself, more..

Feb 23 (FT) The Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting on Monday reviewed the progress of 261 large-scale development projects and called on the line ministries to take responsibility to prepare feasibility studies. �Project progress of majority has been very slow due to the suspension of foreign currency tied to particular developments and the difficulties in securing the necessary money due to the country�s economic crisis,� Minister Bandula Gunawardena told journalists yesterday. more..

Feb 23 (DN) UGC has managed to enrol the new batch of students for universities in the shortest period of time in the history of SL universities. UCG Chairman Senior Prof Sampath Amaratunga said the enrolment of students for universities was completed in nine weeks by releasing the Z Score with the issuance of 2021 A/L exam results by Examinations Dept last November. Recruitment of students for the university was not done until the re-evaluation of the answer papers was completed. more..

Feb 23 (DN) Moneragala Disaster Management Unit Assistant Director V. M. Ravindra Kumara said that a tremor of magnitude 3.3 on the Richter Scale occurred in the area of Anjaligama between Buttala and Wellawaya yesterday at about 11.44 am. Villagers said that the ground shook for about a minute and birds including peacocks screamed. Tremor was felt by many villages in Buttala, Wellawaya and Moneragala areas and people said that the walls of the houses in many villages more..

Feb 23 (TM) Holding a large protest in front of the Colombo Fort Railway Station yesterday, which was named a National Protest Day, approximately 100 trade unions representing around 40 sectors vowed to make the Govt led by Prez Wickremesinghe roll back the tax policies that it recently introduced. Several categories of professionals including the employees of institutions such as CPC, SLPA, CEB, doctors, engineers more..

Feb 23 (Island) SL has secured Japanese assistance to run government hospitals. Japanese Ambassador Mizukoshi Hideaki signed an Exchange of Notes, with the Secretary to the Treasury, Mahinda Siriwardana, at the Prez Secretariat. for a humanitarian grant assistance of USD 46 million in providing diesel fuel for public hospitals, across the country, Earlier, China provided diesel for fisheries and farmer communities. Announcement was made a week after the abolition of power cuts. more..

Feb 23 (Island) SJB MP Harsha de Silva, said that there couldn�t be any issue regarding his re-appointment as the head of COPF. MP said so when asked him about the delay in Parliament making the announcement regarding his appoinment. MP de Silva said that there couldn�t be any issue as MP Lakshman Kiriella, proposed him as the Chairman of COPF. Responding to another query, MP de Silva said that Chairmen of COPE & COPA were elected by vote in case there were two contestants. more..

Feb 23 (TM) Opposition MP Wimal Weerawansa claimed that the arrival of a high level delegation from the US Department of Defence in SL recently was with the aim of placing SL�s Intelligence information under the CIA, allegations which were later refuted by State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon when inquired. Weerawansa stated that 20 officers from the Pentagon had arrived in SL in 2 separate aircrafts & met with Prez more..

Feb 23 (SLN) SL Navy apprehended 13 persons for illegal harvesting of sea cucumber and 2 individuals for engaging in light course fishing, during separate search operations carried out off the Mandaitivu Island and in the sea area off Veththalakerni in Jaffna on the night of 22nd Feb and early hours of today. The operations also led to the seizure of fishing gear used for these illegal acts. Upon apprehension, the individuals and their fishing gear were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector more..

Feb 23 (FT) While levying an income tax on individual earnings to supplement Govt revenue is a necessity to meet Govt expenditure, the issue in question is the perception and/or the reality of its unfairness and the lack of confidence and trust that people have about the way the tax they pay is spent by the Govt. There is no evidence that just and equitable approaches have been taken by politicians to address revenue raising and the curtailment of unaffordable expenditure in a systematic more..

Feb 23 (EN) Ruling party MP Ranjith Bandara has been reappointed chair of the COPE. Bandara defeated SJB candidate Eran Wickrmaratne 16 votes to seven for the position today. Bandara is reportedly a close ally of SLPP national organiser and former Finance Minister Bastil Rajapaksa. Meanwhile, former COPF chairman SJB MP Harsha de Silva was replaced on Thursday by his party colleague Mayantha Dissanayake. MP de Silva complained that all govt MPs had backed more..

Feb 23 (TP) Qatar and Sri Lanka have embarked on significant developments in bilateral relations this year, and seek to further boost cooperation in areas that matter to both countries, Ambassador of SL H E Mohamed Mafaz Mohideen has said. Sri Lanka seeks to enhance the longstanding ties with Qatar by focusing on untapped potentials in the corporation, Ambassador Mohideen said, addressing a reception held on Tuesday at The Westin Doha Hotel to mark SL�s 75th Independence Day. more..

Feb 23 (EN) Supreme Court has ordered that a writ petition seeking an order delaying the local govt elections be taken up again on May 11. The petition was filed by a retired army colonel who sought the local govt polls that were scheduled for March 9 be delayed due to SL�s prevailing economic situation. However, an undertaking by the election commission in a previous petition hearing to hold the election still stands, according to lawyers. more..

Feb 23 (DM) MP Dullas Alahapperuma today questioned as to why UNP handed over nominations to the LG elections if the election was not legally declared as claimed by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. He told Parliament that what was said by the Prez in Parliament was completely false. He said it was now clear who was behind the move to postpone the LG polls. "Media and several other people pointed finger at the Treasury Secretary, Govt Printer and the Elections Commission for attempting to more..

Feb 23 (AD) Convenor of the IUSF, Wasantha Mudalige has been arrested along with student Buddhist monks of the Buddhist and Pali University a short while ago (23), after they forcibly entered the Ministry of Education premises in Pelawatte, Battaramulla. The group demanded that the university be reopened and that action be taken against the SL Police, over the force used against them at the Satyagraha held at Pitipana Junction in Homagama yesterday. more..

Feb 23 (EN) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe claimed that the local govt election that was scheduled for March 09 has not been delayed as there was no election to be postponed, pointing to an apparent lack of an official decision on when the polls should be held. Addressing parliament, Prez said the election commission was due to inform the Supreme Court later that day that the election cannot be held. more..

Feb 23 (FT) Calling Ranil Wickremesinghe a follower of Machiavelli like his distant uncle J.R. Jayewardene, is unfair by all three. JR flipped India into fighting the Tigers who were fighting him, thereby releasing the SL army to fight the JVP. By suffocating the LG elections, and deploying the army with T-56s and body-armour to block the moderate main Opposition the SJB while unleashing tear-gas and Police water-cannon on protesting SJB frontliners in the torrential rain, more..

Feb 23 (DM) Colombo District Court today issued an enjoining order against SLFP former Prez Maithripala Sirisena and its General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara, preventing anyone else being appointed as the SLFP representatives to the Ja-Ela Pradeshiya, replacing the three plaintiffs. Colombo Chief District Judge issued this order after taking into consideration the facts presented by the plaintiffs that they have been removed from party membership in an arbitrary manner. more..