Apr 5 (FT) SJB MP S.M Marikkar yesterday slammed the Govt for its apparent lack of interest in recovering tax and excise arrears totalling Rs 1 trillion, which could be utilised to alleviate the hardships faced by the general public. MP criticised the Govt for resorting to tax hikes as its sole means of revenue generation. �They raised VAT to 18% in January, anticipating a revenue of Rs. 600 billion. However, they have neglected to collect taxes and excise arrears totalling Rs. 1066 billion,� more..

Apr 5 (FT) The soft pedalling by the Govt to carry out crucial reforms of State Owned Enterprises is forcing taxpayer�s wallets to take the brunt of the hit, Advocata Institute said. Its CEO Dhananath Fernando said this taking into account the upcoming election cycle, he urged the need to reform State Owned (SOE) Enterprises. Here it was said that irrespective of govt that comes into power, SOE reforms must continue. more..

Apr 5 (Island) Is the SLFP writhing in its death throes? Is the blame for that to be laid at Maithripala Sirisena�s feet? He wrested the chairmanship of the Blue Party; Chandrika Kumaratunga should be SLFP Head if custom, tradition and courtesy are observed. We remember the founding of the SLFP as was said to be a protest by SWRD Bandaranaike when he was overlooked and the premiership, which was passed on to Dudley following the death of his father DS Senanayake. more..

Apr 5 (DN) SL women�s under 19 team led by Manudi Nanayakkara will meet Australia under 19 team in their first ODI fixture which is scheduled to be played today at Galle International Cricket Stadium, commencing at 10 a.m. After successful T-20 Tri Nation series between Australia and England Sri Lanka ready to take up this challenge while Manudi and her team coached by Mahesh Weerasinghe had a successful training session yesterday. more..

Apr 5 (Island) Computer Crimes Investigation Division of the CID had received 5,243 complaints in 2023, Deputy Director of CID�s Computer Crimes Investigation Division, SSP Darshika Ranasinghe said. She added that her division had received over 1,500 complaints by the third week of March 2024, and the use of digital devices had increased, and along with that, the number of cyber-crimes too had gone up. more..

Apr 5 (ICC) International Cricket Council (ICC) revealed the shortlist of candidates in contention to scoop the ICC Men�s and Women�s Player of the Month awards for performances in March. The ICC Player of the Month awards highlight the outstanding individual performers on the international cricket stage, and the names shortlisted for March spans a range of formats. ICC Men�s Player of the Month shortlist includes a key architect in Ireland�s first ever men�s Test victory, a prolific frontline bowler more..

Apr 5 (AD) CIABOC has filed a case with the Colombo High Court against the former Chairman and the former Managing Director of Laksala, Sri Lanka�s state-owned handicraft marketing organization, over alleged corruption charges. Bribery Commission said it has carried out investigations related to a complaint received alleging that the former Chairman of the Laksala have committed corruption offences by awarding the contract for constructing a Laksala outlet more..

Apr 5 (CI) Chamari Athapaththu had not got to fifty in her last 11 T20 innings. She had not even reached double figures in her last five. So when she walked out to bat with SL chasing 156 to win a series against South Africa for the first time ever and then saw her opening partner and match-winner from the previous game Vishmi Gunaratne dismissed for 1, you could say she was under some serious pressure. And that is just the way she likes it. "I love pressure. Without pressure I can't perform," more..

Apr 5 (DM) The official website of the Ministry of Education has fallen victim to a cyber intrusion. Hackers, purportedly identifying as Anonymous EEE, managed to gain unauthorized access to the site, leaving behind a message warning of security vulnerabilities. The message left by the hacker read, "My name is Anonymous EEE and I am currently studying A/I. Sorry for unauthorized access to your website but your website has some security flaws. As a Sri Lankan citizen, more..

Apr 5 (TM) Chairman of Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee on Alleviating the Impact of the Economic Crisis, Gamini Waleboda expressed displeasure that although surveys of marine resources within 24 nautical miles from the coast have been conducted in other parts of the island, the relevant Govt institutions have not conducted such a survey in the North. Committee recently convened a meeting in Parliament more..

Apr 5 (TM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized that the govt�s prudent decisions over the past two years have bolstered the nation�s economy, providing a favourable environment for political activities on the streets. However, he cautioned that the economy still faces challenges, urging citizens to weigh the choice of either continuing with the govt�s initiatives for prosperity or risking regression. Highlighting a remarkable increase of over 50% in govt income in 2023 compared to 2022, more..

Apr 5 (DN) The delay in restructuring State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) has become a burden for the people; Advocata Institute CEO Dhananath Fernando told a media briefing on Taxpayer burden and the urgency of State Owned Enterprise Reform, held at the BMICH on Wednesday. It was revealed that 52 state owned enterprises have reported a staggering cumulative loss of Rs.744.6 billion in 2022 according to the annual reports of the Ministry of Finance and Inland Revenue Dept. more..

Apr 5 (FT) SJB yesterday announced that dissident SLPP MPs including Prof. G.L Peiris and several others will sign a coalition agreement with the party today. SJB Deputy National Organiser S.M Marikkar said this was yet another step in the party�s effort to form the broadest political alliance in Sri Lanka�s political history. Marikkar noted that the coalition�s focus extends beyond the upcoming elections, encompassing agreements on various policies and reforms essential for more..

Apr 5 (DM) Around 100 Intelligence Officers from the police in the Western Province have been discharged from their duties and reassigned to security duties in Colombo. IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon had instructed to deploy officers attached to the Intelligence Service in the Western Province for general duties in Colombo to enhance security and prevent crimes like vehicle thefts and gold necklace robberies especially during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year season. more..

Apr 5 (DM) Foreign nationals who overstay their visas and do various odd jobs to earn money continue unabated with the authorities concerned hamstrung with the lack of resources to curb them, an official said. In one instance, another group of 15 foreigners overstaying their visas in Sri Lanka and doing online jobs for a living were arrested by an investigation team of the Dept of Immigration and Emigration during raids more..

Apr 5 (CT) Southern Province Health Service is facing the dilemma of being overrun by Deputy Provincial Health Directors. With 3 senior medical administrative grade doctors being given appointments as Southern Province Deputy Director Health Services, while there were three main health institution establishments in the Galle District, namely; Teaching Hospitals Karapitiya and Mahamodara and the office of the Southern Provincial Health Directorate (SPHD). more..

Apr 5 (FT) Committee on High Posts has approved the appointments of four new ambassadors, two ministry secretaries and two chairpersons of institutions. Accordingly, the Committee on High Posts has approved the appointment of W.A.U.P. Prerera as the new SL ambassador to Vietnam and T. P. Dharmasena as the new Ambassador to Poland, the appointment of E.A.S.W. Edirisinghe as ambassador to Thailand, and P.A.P Ponnamperuma as Ambassador to Myanmar more..

Apr 5 (Island) Around 75,000 Sri Lankans have left for overseas jobs during the first three months of 2024, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) says. SLBFE said that 74,499 Sri Lankan workers had left for foreign employment, and 46% of them were women. There has been a slight drop in comparison to the corresponding period in 2023, when 76,025 Sri Lankans went overseas for employment. more..

Apr 6 (DM) Despite former President Maithripala Sirisena seeming to have landed in hot water over his recent statement on the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, so long as his motive is not clear one should not jump the gun to call him a fool. Sirisena while talking to media in Kandy claimed on March 22 that he knew who really carried out the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and that he was prepared to disclose the information if the judiciary ordered him to do so. more..

Apr 6 (FT) The IMF drug is beginning to show signs of effectiveness by producing few random indicators of economic recovery. With strict capital controls and tightened trade rules, the rupee is appreciating against the dollar and the buying rate of the dollar has dipped below Rs.300. Unavoidably, the rupee has also appreciated against the country�s trading partners, which is bound to affect exports. Headline inflation has tumbled down from about 70% to below 6%, and the country�s foreign reserves more..

Apr 6 (CT) Now and then, Katchatheevu island, lying halfway between the islands of Rameswaram (India) and Delft (Neduntheevu � SL), has been hitting the news headlines. Mainly, such interests are evinced when several of the hundreds of Indian trawlers that cross the IMBL three times a week and engage in bottom trawling in SL waters get arrested for a variety of offences, including illegal entry into SL waters, more..

Apr 6 (CT) Reports that third-term MP and former Minister, Namal Rajapaksa, has taken over as the National Organiser of the family-run SLPP make for interesting reading. The first question is about the future role of Basil Rajapaksa, who until he left office some months back, was the National Organiser. Even more important from the current context is the role that Namal will play in the decision-making process � thus far, he has been providing inputs to his father and Party Leader, more..

Apr 6 (fT) On Saturday (30) in a YouTube message, Sujeewa Bandara, former Secretary to the ousted PreZ Gotabaya Rajapaksa, claimed that the people who gathered at the Mirihana house of Gotabaya seeking to remove him from power as president were not Sinhalese but Muslims. This is absolute nonsense, calculated mischief and bankrupt politics. Video clips of the event show there were no Muslims there but all Sinhalese. Thus the statement, on the eve of preZ or general elections, more..

Apr 6 (CT) Diaspora is a Greek word meaning to sow over, or to scatter. As applied to people, the term was first used by the Greek historian Thucydides to describe the Greeks� dispersal. The IOM defines diasporas as Migrants or descendants of migrants, whose identity and sense of belonging have been shaped by their migration experience and background. More generally, the term refers to people who identify with their country or more..

Apr 6 (Island) US Prez Joe Biden�s come-to-Jesus telephone conversation with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, is said to be yielding the desired results. Biden reportedly warned Netanyahu that there would be a sharp shift in the US policy towards the Gaza war unless Israel heeded Washington�s concerns about civilian lives and acted accordingly. White House said Biden had made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel�s immediate action more..

Apr 6 (CT) Colombo High Court Judge Adithya Patabendige, a Buddhist himself, had sentenced the obstreperous Buddhist monk Galagoda Atte Gnanasara, the Secretary General of BBS for four years rigorous imprisonment plus a fine of Rs.100,000 for the monk�s inflammatory remarks on Islam and Muslims. An appeal for his bail by his sympathizers has also been rejected. This is indeed a landmark judgement specially in the face of the unchallengeable power of political Buddhism, more..

Apr 6 (DM) The once-powerful LTTE waged war against the SL state for over thirty years. The LTTE known popularly as the Tigers was the determining force in SL politics for nearly two decades. The decline of the LTTE began in 2004 when its Batticaloa and Amparai district special commander V Muralidharan alias Col Karuna led an eastern tiger revolt against the LTTE supremo Veluppillai Prabhakaran. Although Col Karuna - also known as Karuna Ammaan - was defeated militarily more..

Apr 6 (DM) The trio of festivals-the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Ramadan and Easter Sunday fall within a short time of each other. The deadly Easter Sunday massacre of innocent civilians in churches and hotels in 2019 hit one of our biggest exchange earners badly. The Easter Sunday bombings also marked the beginning of a dark era that saw the crumbling of our country�s economy which had just begun to take off after the near three-decade-long terrorist war was brought to a close. more..

Apr 6 (FT) Sri Lanka has completed $ 2 billion in debt servicing since the assumption of Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prez, Govt announced. Of this amount $ 1.4 billion is multilateral loans, revealed the President�s Office Community Affairs Director General Rajith Keerthi Thennakoon. Quoting data from the External Resources Department, he said ADB was paid $ 760 million, $ 489.9 million to the World Bank, $ 29.9 million to OPEC fund more..

Apr 6 (TM) In response to complaints regarding the rising number of fake medical practitioners and fake medical centres in the country, this week, the health authorities announced that they are taking newer and stringent measures to deal with them. Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena has said that based on the available data and also discussions with the private health services regulatory authorities, the relevant authorities have been instructed to get more..

Apr 6 (CT) Many speculate what the State of the Nation would be today if Lasantha Wickrematunge were alive. I have thought about it too. But, then I know. If it were not on that fateful day, the 8th of January 2009 it would have been another day. It is said that the greatest aphrodisiac known to man is the power of man over man. Lasantha had to be killed for one man�s power over all men in SL. He may be power hungry, yet be a coward who would use minions to do such a dastardly crime more..

Apr 6 (FT) Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva yesterday unveiled plans to modernise the Hingurakgoda domestic airport with a whopping investment of Rs. 17 billion to facilitate international flight operations. The transformative initiative is set to elevate the antiquated airport, originally constructed during World War II for the Royal Air Force of England and known as RAF Minneriya at the time, into an international aviation hub capable of facilitating international flight operations. more..

Apr 6 (ST) With the Sinhala and Tamil New Year approaching, CAA and PHIs have intensified raids to prevent possible scarcities and the exploitation of consumers in the coming days. Director of Raids and Special Investigation of the CAA Sanjaya Irasinghe said that warehouses of essential food items were raided, taking note of their stocks. �This was done to avoid a possible scarcity as importers are known to stock up goods and sell for higher prices when the demand is high,� he said. more..

Apr 6 (ST) All upcoming national elections will be subject to new campaign finance laws that will limit the amount of funding that candidates, political parties and independent groups can spend on their campaigns. The new laws are yet to be tested, but with a prez election due this year and a parliamentary election to follow early next year, Election Commission (EC) has been meeting with various stakeholders to brief them on more..

Apr 6 (ST) The local batik industry has been hit hard by illegal imports of printed Indian material. Batik producers complain that the Indian printed batik sarongs and clothing items have reached Pettah markets for lesser prices, affecting the sales of local batik products. The local Batik Manufacturers Association (BMA) pointed out that increased production costs and reduced sales have affected their industry. An owner of a batik manufacturing company, Chammi Samaraweera said that more..

Apr 6 (AD) Actress Damitha Abeyratne and her husband, who was arrested by the CID over an alleged financial fraud, has been remanded on the orders of the Colombo Fort Magistrate�s Court. Accordingly, the couple will be behind bars on remand until April 17. The actress and her spouse, who had been wanted by the CID, were arrested after they appeared before the court on Thursday (4). CID is investigating Abeyratne and her husband, in connection with their involvement more..