Sep 23 (ST) A Parliamentary oversight committee revealed that certain Police officers intentionally submit drug samples that yield negative results to the Govt Analyst�s Department. The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Just and Law-Abiding Society found at least 1,580 such false samples were submitted to the department last year alone. Police stations in Maradana (59), Peliyagoda (58), Kaduwella (58) and Borella (49) turned in the highest number of false samples. more..

Sep 23 (Island) Inoshi Priyadharshani�s career-best returns of 4 for 10 backed up by a quick 32 from Anushka Sanjeewani helped SL brush aside Thailand by eight wickets and advance to the semi-finals of the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Chasing 79 in the rain-reduced 15-overs-a-side quarter-final, SL coasted to a win in 10.5 overs. Rain and a wet outfield had delayed the start of the game by close to an hour-and-a-half. Once the weather cleared, SL opted to field under grey skies. more..

Sep 23 (Island) Javelin National record holder Dilhani Lekamge flexed her muscle ahead of the Asian Games to win the best athlete title of the Army Volunteer Force Athletics Championships concluded at Diyagama on Thursday. The athlete trained by Pradeep Nishantha threw the javelin to a distance of 59.39 metres, which is just one and half metres short of her National Record established at the recently held Asian Athletics Championships. �I had planned to compete at the Army Meet ahead of the Asian Games. more..

Sep 23 (CT) After the pandemic dust has settled, the tourism industry has been outdoing its performances every year and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has now set a rather optimistic target of making the tourism industry the top foreign revenue generating sector by 2027. To do so, the plan is to attract five million annual tourist arrivals, out of which 2.5 million are high-end tourists, who will spend lavishly when in the country. more..

Sep 23 (ST) SL�s former Ambassador to Russia Udyanga Weeratunga evading the inquiry into the MiG deal was among the reasons for the delay in concluding investigations, Senior State Counsel Udara Karunathilaka, who appeared for the Attorney General, told Colombo High Court this week. Remark was made when a special motion filed by Mr. Weeratunga was taken in the Colombo HC re-questing court to issue an order to release funds from two of his bank accounts more..

Sep 23 (DM) One of SL�s most important needs today is the emergence of a statesman of the calibre of Mahatma Gandhi to give our country leadership or guidance, which our leaders will follow. Mahatma Gandhi played a similar role in India. He peacefully and gradually played the key role in toppling one of the biggest and most powerful empires in the world, the British Empire. British wartime PM Winston Churchill degraded Mahatma Gandhi by referring to him more..

Sep 23 (DM) Can commemorations be held without glorifying armed struggles? Two SL courts have given two different orders on the commemoration of Rasaiah Parthipan alias Thileepan, the one-time political leader of the LTTE in Jaffna who died after a twelve-day fast over five demands, in Sept 1987. Vavuniya Magistrate�s Court on Wednesday (20) rejected an application filed by SL Police to ban a memorial float dedicated to Thileepan from travelling through Vavuniya. more..

Sep 23 (DM) The first part of the article titled Who is Hanzeer Azad Maulana the Whistleblower on Channel 4? Was published in these columns last week. Even as I was writing the second part of the article, I received some interesting information about an event in Geneva relating to the Channel 4 TV documentary and Hanzeer Azad Maulana the chief whistl eblower featured in the film. While the UNHRC sessions were underway in Geneva, documentary aired on Dispatches by Channel 4 on Sept 5 more..

Sep 23 (ST) On Tuesday (12), two suspects were taken into custody after an attempt of drug smuggling was thwarted by Sri Lanka Customs. The detection took place following initial investigations by the Narcotics Control Unit of Customs. According to the police, a package to an address in Maradana, Colombo had been sent through a courier service from Brazil. It contained a volleyball net and the narcotics were in the edges of the volleyball net. more..

Sep 23 (Island) The overall business sentiment at the CSE improved yesterday following the DCS announcement that SL�s national inflation rate has come down to 2.1%, which at one time moved up close to 70% last year, market analysts said. Further, the market also got a boost when world leaders and international donor agencies expressed and confirmed support for the SL economy to Prez Ranil Wickremeisghe, who is currently in New York attending the UNGA annual sessions. more..

Sep 23 (AD) Minister Kanchana Wijesekera on Thursday held constructive discussions with the officials of the IMF and the World Bank with regard to reforms in the energy and power sectors. The meeting with IMF officials, which took place at the Presidential Secretariat, focused on the progress of reforms and cost-reflective pricing mechanisms implemented in the electricity and energy sectors. Additionally, attention was also paid to the progress of the Aswesuma more..

Sep 23 (ST) An art exhibition has drawn attention to the untapped talent and creative potential of prisoners in SL�s overcrowded jails. Siranovu Sithuvam (unimprisoned paintings) was held this week at the Colombo Public Library as a recovery programme in celebration of National Prisoners� Day on Sept 11. According to the exhibition organisers, Lanka Prisoners� Fellowship, 30 exhibits were sold. The fellowship collaborated with the Prisoners� Welfare Association and more..

Sep 23 (ST) After a recent field study found that a majority of shrimp and aquaculture farms across the country have failed to comply with environmental regulations, Fisheries Ministry directed relevant govt agencies, NAQDA and NARA to take immediate legal action against those farms. �Take legal action against all the shrimp farms in Mannar and Chilaw areas that don�t release wastewater in a proper way,� Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda directed more..

Sep 23 (Island) SJB leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament yesterday that irrefutable evidence had emerged, linking the Zahran group, which carried out the Easter Sunday terror attacks, to the Army intelligence. Participating in the debate on the Channel 4 exposure on the Easter Sunday terror attacks, Premadasa said that there were instances that pointed to links between the Army intelligence and the Zahran group. Firstly, there was an IP address of an intelligence officer who used more..

Sep 23 (DN) Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) Deputy President, Group Captain Nalin de Silva expressed his confidence that Sri Lanka has a great chance to finish among the top-three teams at the 19th Asian Games Sevens Rugby Tournament, which begins in Hangzhou, China on Sunday. The Sri Lankan Tuskers will participate in this 13-team tournament under the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Flag as SLR are currently serving a suspension from World Rugby from May 2023. more..

Sep 23 (AD) Two individuals have been arrested on suspicion of aiding the police constable who was complicit in notorious criminal figure and drug kingpin Harak Kata�s escape attempt at the CID recently. The arrest was made by Colombo Crimes Division (CCD). The organized criminal gang leader Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne alias Harak Kata�s, had reportedly attempted to flee from the custody of the CID on Sept 10. According to the CID, Harak Kata had been aided by more..

Sep 23 (DM) Claiming that the group led by MP Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pilleyan has been paid Rs.3.5 million per month by the intelligence services, NPP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake questioned whether the group is still being paid that amount. He told parliament that Pilleyan�s group has been maintained and paid from the account of the Intelligence Services. MP said this during a cross-talk with Pilleyan after Dissanayake alleged that most of those who were accused of more..

Sep 23 (Island) State Minister of Defence Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon said in Parliament that Sonic-Sonic was the code name given to a local intelligence official, who was entrusted with extracting information from the National Thawheed Jamma�ath (NTJ). Abu Hind was an official attached to a foreign intelligence service. Sonic-Sonic and Abu Hind were individuals who had been in contact with NTJ and ISIS, according to previous investigations more..

Sep 23 (ST) The Sri Lankan woman who was allegedly murdered by her husband at a hotel in East Coast Road was fondly remembered as a friend to many and always had kind words and a smile to give. Ms Elizabeth Campher wrote about the tragic death of her classmate, Ms Diyawinnage Sewwandi Maduka Kumari, in her LinkedIn post last week. They are classmates in La Trobe University, Australia. Both are pursuing a master�s degree in Chemical Sciences. more..

Sep 23 (DM) Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando has been flown abroad for urgent medical treatment following doctor�s advice. Minister Fernando said a condition he had in his knee had worsened over the past few days and had apparently seen his doctors who had advised him to get treatment overseas. "I participated in the opening of the Hilton Hotel in Yala and attended a TV talk show thereafter. The knee ailment which I had worsened after these two events and I sought doctor�s advice. more..

Sep 23 (FT) Lawyers� Collective, a civil society group consisting of legal practitioners in SL issued a statement condemning the recently proposed Anti-Terrorism and Online Safety Bills which were published through gazette announcements this year. The collective said the Govt has failed to respond to the serious and fundamental concerns raised about the Anti-Terrorist Bill and adopt any transparent and accountable process through which the bills were explained, more..

Sep 24 (TM) Political observers are finding it increasingly difficult to discern as to who exactly is calling the shots in the Govt these days given the contradictory nature of what is being said and what is being done. While the Prez is busy globe-trotting, spearheading a public relations drive with a delegation in tow to convince the int'l community of the country�s democratic credentials in return for economic assistance, events at home are increasingly pointing towards the contrary. more..

Sep 24 (SO) That SL is a sporting brand of sorts cannot be underestimated. In the Asian context, the fact that we are the most successful next to mammoth India in terms of Asia Cup success, is a fact. The next most successful team Pakistan is not even close in terms of how many finals they figured in and how many of those they actually won. None of the bad moments we have had, including the debacle in the final of last week, can change the reality that we are generally punching more..

Sep 24 (TM) The past week was one similar to a political potpourri for the Ranil Wickremesinghe Govt, with chaos in the local political scene while a composed Prez Wickremesinghe was seen meeting with members of the international community in New York. Govt�s move to gazette an Online Safety Bill, which has come under fire by the Opposition and civil society, as well as the debate on the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks probe, more..

Sep 24 (GV) On Sept 15, govt published an Anti-Terrorism Bill, referred to as the ATA. Bill is presented as a revision of an earlier version that was gazetted in March 2023, when it received widespread public criticism, including from local and int'l human rights groups. An analysis of the revised Bill reveals that although minor changes have been made, the ATA continues to be an unprecedented expansion of executive power, both in form and in its potential for the repression of citizens. more..

Sep 24 (Island) We are all familiar with the famous lines of American sportswriter Grantland Rice that When the Great Scorer comes to mark against your name, he writes not if you won or lost but how you played the game. Well as far as we Sri Lankans are concerned, we played the game abysmally badly last Sunday when we took on India at the Asia Cup final under overcast conditions at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The lines quoted above, of course, refers to sportsmanship. more..

Sep 24 (TM) Poverty levels in Sri Lanka have more than doubled from 2019 to 2022 from 11.3% to 25% according to World Bank estimates and inequality has also worsened during this period, indicating a widening gap between the rich and the poor, stated Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Director of Research Dr. Nisha Arunatilake, in an interview. Outlining steps that should be taken to bring households out of poverty, more..

Sep 24 (ST) Bribery and corruption are now the second-most significant unlawful activity generating criminal proceeds in the country, states the National Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment (NRA) of SL released last week by the Central Bank�s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). This is an alarming, though not entirely surprising development. Bribery, corruption and money laundering are predicate offences indicative of a deeper web of crime. more..

Sep 24 (SO) SL cricket followers went through their worst hour watching their adored team dismantled brick by brick after being told to rush for tickets or be shut out from what was touted as a blockbuster Asia Cup final at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Sunday last week. Many left aside everything else to beat the deadline for seat reservations as some paid as much as 40,000 bucks and nearly 15 percent according to estimates took their seats with half the Sri Lanka team blasted out from the crease. more..

Sep 24 (ST) Aiyo Sirisena, I thought of writing to you because you are always in the news now and not many people seem to like you these days. It began when the Channel 4 documentary on the Easter attacks was aired, then you fought with your secretary Dayasiri and now you are fighting with the Field Marshall! We heard you say after the Channel 4 documentary that the highest court in the land which asked you to pay compensation in millions should review their decision. more..

Sep 24 (Island) The Asia Cup final last Sunday was a bitter pill to swallow. While 35,000 adoring fans turned up at RPS paying through the nose to witness a good game of cricket, most streets in the country were deserted as millions of ardent fans watched the proceedings on television with keenness hoping for SL to defend their title. Alas, it was all over in two hours. SL had been shot out for their lowest total at home � 50. The final was an anti-climax no doubt. Rather than discussing conspiracy theories more..

Sep 24 (ST) The Auditor General has raised issue over the poor performance of the CIABOC. In its observations on the Annual Performance Report of the CIABOC, the Auditor General�s Department has pointed out that while the Commission had completed 69 cases in 2021, 40 of these cases or 58% were withdrawals. Accused individuals in 18 cases filed by the Commission were found to be innocent while accused more..

Sep 24 (Island) President Ranil Wickremesinghe interrupted his busy flight schedule between conferences to issue a commemorative message on Sept 17 to mark the 117th birth anniversary of President JR Jayewardene. I am not aware of any special significance associated with #117, nor can I remember Mr. Wickremesinghe issuing birth anniversary statements in the recent past. What is special this year is that Ranil Wickremesinghe is the incumbent President. more..

Sep 24 (EN) Chief Negotiators of SL and India held talks to resume Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) negotiations years after it was stopped following political-led opposition in 2016. �The Chief Negotiators of SL and India recently held a virtual meeting on September 19th to discuss the resumption of Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) negotiations,� the PMD said. This marks the continuation of talks after 11 previous rounds of negotiations.� more..

Sep 24 (AD) Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe says the restrictions imposed on imported goods, except vehicles, will be lifted in October. He mentioned that import restrictions are currently maintained on 600 HS codes. �By October, we will be able to lift the import restrictions on all these items except 270 HS codes for vehicles.� The move will help price stabilization, Semasinghe explained. Due to these restrictions, he said an increase is observed in the prices more..