Sri Lanka News : InfoLanka News Room

Jun 27 (DM) The govt has launched a social welfare scheme called Aswesuma Social Welfare Programme to help the poor segment of the society that has been affected by the ordinary economic system that has been shaped up for the high-income segment to further benefit and also by the current economic crisis. This seems to be a project under the social safety net envisaged by the IMF in its programme for SL. This is the third such programme with professedly aimed at eradication of more..

A call to civil society: 2024 should be a year of tolerance in Sri Lanka

Jun 27 (DM) We are in the phase of rapidly fading memories of the 2022 ARAGALAYA and Economic meltdown, faded memories of the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 Easter Sunday carnage and lost memories of a 30-year-old ethnic based civil war which ended (only in military terms in 2017), 1987/89 JVP armed uprising, 1983 pogrom against the Tamils of SL, 1971 JVP insurrection,1956 and 1958 pogrom against the Tamils and 1915 Sinhalese Muslim riots. more..

Rs. 4,500 million from India to enhance Northern signalling system

Jun 27 (SO) The Northern Railway started in 1905. Due to terrorist threats, the train service from Vavuniya to Kankesanthurai (KKS) on the Northern Railway was completely stopped. After June 1989, no train ran beyond Vavuniya. The closed railway line, which had been closed for more than 25 years, resumed services in 2009 after the end of the terrorist threat and the reconstruction of the line under Indian assistance. more..

Rectifying prevailing disturbing gun culture

Jun 27 (CT) We often talk about ridiculous gun violence rates in the United States and the incredibly horrifying nature of incidents that occur regularly, despite calls for several changes in gun laws and other measures that should have already been taken to curb mass shootings. Here in SL, in the past year, there has been a notable rise in gun violence and we haven’t quite paid attention to it as much as we perhaps should have. This year alone we’ve had 43 shootings and 23 deaths more..

Editorial: Needed: A stitch in time

Jun 27 (Island) Thousands of Samurdhi beneficiaries are up in arms across the country, claiming that they have been left out of the Aswesuma social protection programme, which the govt is planning to launch soon purportedly to rationalise poor relief. Politicians are shedding copious tears for the poor on the warpath. They, true to form, are playing politics with the issue on the pretext of fighting for the rights of the poor. The Aswesuma programme plunged Parliament into chaos last week more..

හිත හොඳ පොලිස් මහතාගේ හෙළිදරව්ව

Ranil’s economic strategy: Will his prioritisation of targets misfire?

Jun 27 (CT) Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW) has set his main target as addressing the admittedly serious worry about External Debt (ED), above concerns about Domestic Debt Restructuring (DDR). My view is that this is a mistake; it is the conflicts and crises in DDR that are more likely to be his undoing. The point will become clearer as I proceed. I have long argued that international actors, without exception, will NOT allow Sri Lanka to descend into chaos. Too much is at stake to allow more..

Sincerity needed, not one-off initiatives to reconcile

Jun 27 (Island) The ongoing session of the UNHRC in Geneva is proof enough that the int'l quest for justice and accountability in SL is continuing. UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Turk, who presented the annual report, noted that “In SL, although the government has regrettably rejected aspects of the Council’s resolutions related to accountability, it has continued to engage with our presence on the ground. SL has received a dozen visits by mandate holders in the past decade more..

Sri Lanka tourism confident of ambitious 2 million arrivals in 2023

Jun 27 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism expressed confidence in the industry’s potential to welcome two million arrivals and generate $ 3.7 billion in income this year, whilst setting its sights on increasing arrivals to 5 million and earning an impressive $ 21.6 billion within seven years. As part of its long-term strategy to welcome 5 million visitors by 2030, it hopes to lift the average spending per visitor to $ 4,000, with 2.5 million of them more..

Police get tough with drunken drivers

Jun 27 (SO) Police Dept will crack down on drunken drivers from Aug 1. Most of the road accidents in the recent past have been caused by drunken drivers, said Kurunegala District SSP R.M. Jayawardena. Around 15,000 police officers will be deployed for this special operation. There were 23,704 road accidents in SL in 2020 and 2,370 people had died of injuries due to reckless drivers. 22,847 road accidents had occurred on the main roads in 2021 and 2,559 people had lost their lives. more..

A torture victim’s story

Jun 27 (GV) I have been a torture victim not for hours or days or months but for years. It started in May 1989, worsened by the end of the year and was slightly better in mid-1990 but continued until late 1992, the time I was freed after an enforced rehabilitation. I had been an activist of the JVP since 1984. After the party was banned unfairly, the JVP converted into a militant movement in early 1986 and resorted to violence on the path to power. The party conducted robberies, attacks, torture, more..

Trade Minister Nalin Fernando

Formation of Effective Bipartite Safety and Health Committees; addition to...

Jun 27 (Island) Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) recently announced the successful launch of the Formation of Effective Safety & Health Committees Training Workshop. The workshop aims to guide participants in the formulation of Bi-Partite OSH committees in compliance with the National Guidelines recently promulgated by the Department of Labour and to equip them with the necessary skills for its effective operations, fostering collaborative efforts to improve more..

People’s Leasing awaits approval to buy First Capital stake

Jun 27 (ST) The offer for First Capital by People’s Bank investment arm, People’s Leasing PLC is being pummelled by critics for the premium intended to be paid and the bad timing of this transaction. “First Capital is a primary dealer and so is People’s Leasing PLC. It is beyond us to comprehend how this transaction could add value to People’s Leasing,” SJB MP Kabir Hashim said. The offer is for People’s Leasing to buy 33 per cent of First Capital at Rs. 5.5 billion. more..

Thriposha for children: Production hit by lack of aflatoxins-reduced maize

Jun 27 (TM) SL Thriposha Ltd. Co. has claimed facing difficulties in manufacturing Thriposha, a nutritional supplement given to children and pregnant and lactating females, owing to challenges in sourcing maize that contains less aflatoxins. Govt Midwifery Service Association emphasised that the supplying of Thriposha to children between 6 months to 3 years has been halted for a year. more..

The curious case of Dimuth Karunaratne

Jun 27 (Island) With Murali already gone and several seniors on their way out, the selectors in 2011 felt the need to phase them out. Lead up to Sri Lanka’s tour of England that year, the national selection panel introduced two young players to the set up. They were 23-year-old Dimuth Karunaratne and 21-year-old Lahiru Thirimanne. The press were told at that time that the selectors had identified Thirimanne as a long format player and Karunaratne as a white ball player. more..

Sri Lanka out to maintain winning streak

Jun 27 (DN) Sri Lanka will strive to come on top of the points table when they meet Scotland in their last preliminary round game of the world cup qualifying tournament today at Bulawayo, commencing at 12.30 pm (SL time). Winning qualifying matches give more confidence to go forward and our team is in good shape to win matches here in Zimbabwe said Sri Lankan opener Dimuth Karunaratne who was adjudged man of the match for his maiden century against Ireland on Sunday. more..

Pharmaceutical firms uninterested in state tenders due to outstanding payments

Jun 27 (DM) SL’s pharmaceutical firms are becoming less enthusiastic to participate in govt tenders, due to the financial strain from outstanding payments running into billions of rupees and unfavourable tender clauses. “As the industry faces financial challenges, the extensive delays in payments by State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) have caused severe financial strain on companies, pushing them beyond their limits. more..

Mahanama honoured with special commemorative award in New Zealand

Jun 27 (Island) Former cricket captain Roshan Mahanama was recently presented with a Special Commemorative Award by Indian Newslink at the prestigious Sports, Community, Arts, and Culture Awards Ceremony 2023 in Auckland. The ceremony recognized Mahanama for his outstanding contributions to cricket and his remarkable community service through the Roshan Mahanama Trust. The event, held at the Swaminarayan Complex in Papatoetoe, South Auckland, more..

Dominant Ratnayaka Central, Maris Stella savour Ritzbury Cup

Jun 27 (Island) Ratnayaka Central, Walala won the girls’ overall title by a margin of 23 points and Maris Stella College, Negombo returned to winning ways after a lapse of several years to clinch an overall boys’ title in an athletics event as the 3-day Relay Carnival concluded at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Monday. As expected, the athletics stronghold of Walala dominated middle and long distance relays and Maris Stella bagged the gold medals in sprint events including two age category more..

හමුදාවේ පජාත ගැහිලි...!

SL, Thailand FTA talk progress to 6th round

Jun 27 (FT) The fifth round of SL-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (SLTFTA) negotiations commenced in Colombo yesterday aligning with Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s vision of strengthening economic ties with major and emerging economies, with a particular focus on ASEAN countries. Leader of SL delegation, Int'l Trade Office Chief Negotiator K.J. Weerasinghe, expressed satisfaction with the progress of FTA discussions, which are proceeding according to the agreed-upon timeline. more..

Education Minister to visit Canada

Jun 27 (DM) Education Minister Susil Premajayantha is on a visit to Canada to participate at the 40th meeting of the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), which takes place in Vancouver, Canada on June 28 and 29. On his way to Canada, the Minister engaged in discussions with USAID in Washington, US today (26) to address matters related to the education sector in SL. The Commonwealth Institute of Learning fully sponsored this trip. more..

Flight cancellations: SriLankan blames craft/staff shortages, engine issues

Jun 27 (TM) Attributing the cause of several of its recent flight cancellations to shortages of aircraft and pilots, SriLankan Airlines (SLA) stated that it is currently in the process of resolving the issue. MP Dayasiri Jayasekara claimed that 13 SLA flights were cancelled within a period of 5 days - i.e. from 18-22 June. It was later reported that SLA pilots are on an unofficial strike demanding that a due payment for their work during more..

Consumers yet to receive benefits from price drop of bakery items

Jun 27 (ST) While it was announced that prices of bread and other bakery products will be reduced, customers complain the benefits are yet to reach them. They also point to a large disparity between prices and quality. Minister Nalin Fernando requested that the prices of bakery products be slashed by Rs. 10. Consequently, All Ceylon Bakery Owners’ Association (ACBOA) announced that a 450g loaf of bread and other bakery items will be brought down by Rs. 10 from June20.. more..

UNDP and Michelin Foundation partner to procure essential medicines for hospitals

Jun 27 (AD) Through the facility established by the UNDP in SL, Michelin Foundation channels support to procuring essential medicine given the ongoing socio-economic situation in the country and to address the identified drug shortage as highlighted by the Ministry of Health. The medicines were handed over to the Ministry of Health, in the presence of Keheliya Rambukwella, Minister of Health, and Dr. Anver Hamdani, Director Medical Technical Services by Ms. Azusa Kubota, more..

හිරු ටීවී පත්තරේ විස්තරේ

SL women face tough task against NZ

Jun 27 (DN) SL women’s team led by Chamari Atapattu will meet New Zealand women’s team led by Sophie Devine in their first ODI of the three match series today in Galle, commencing at 10a.m. We are expected to make good challenge against New Zealand and this is going to be good match exposure for us said SL women’s cricket head coach Rumsh Ratnayake. We know New Zealand women’s team is very strong and we want to give our best to make a good fight throughout the series, more..

Monkeys to be sterilised in future

Jun 27 (DM) A pilot programme has been planned to conduct sterility surgeries on SL toque monkeys, Association of Veterinarians for Humane Management of Animal Population Advisor Dr. Chamith Nanayakkara said. He said this while addressing the media after launching the 48-hour no-sleep animal clinic at the A'pura Municipality as the first step of the pilot project to eradicate rabies from the country. Wildlife Dept said they will provide their fullest support for the programme. more..

MCPA demands HRCSL act against Health Minister, officials

Jun 27 (CT) Medical and Civil Rights Professionals Association of Doctors (MCPA), demanded the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) move the law against Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, Health Ministry Secretary Janaka Sri Chandragupta and several other top officials of the Health Ministry, for importing unregistered and substandard medicinal drugs which allegedly claimed the lives of some patients more..

Siyambalapitiya alleges move to trigger run on banks

Jun 27 (Island) A sinister attempt is being made in some quarters to trigger a run on banks and the five-day bank holiday is aimed at countering that move, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. He assured that bank and other deposits and pension funds would not be affected by Domestic Debt Restructuring (DDR) and that there is no reason for people to panic. SL’s total debt amounted to USD 83.6 billion made up of foreign debt of USD 42.6 billion and domestic debt of USD 42 billion. more..

JVP files FR case in SC against Govt. attempts to restructure domestic debt

Jun 27 (FT) A fundamental rights petition was filed by the President of the Inter Company Employees Union Wasantha Samarasinghe and five others before the Supreme Court against the attempts by the Govt to restructure domestic debt. The petition filed against 46 respondents consisting of State officials requested the court to issue an order that would prevent the curtailment of loans obtained by the Govt from EPF and ETF in the proposed local debt restructuring endeavours more..

Restructuring local debt: Opposition queries lack of Govt policy clarity

Jun 27 (TM) SJB MP Kabir Hashim said that the lack of transparency in Govt’s policies regarding domestic debt restructuring is an obstacle for the Opposition to reach a final decision on the particular matter. He said that the Govt is following a very secretive programme regarding the restructuring of domestic debt. He also said that although the SJB, as the main Opposition Party, is yet to come to a definite opinion regarding more..

Your electricity bill is 50% more than what it should be

Jun 27 (FT) In February this year, Sri Lanka’s national average price of electricity was increased from Rs. 30 to Rs. 48 per unit of electricity. Fierce, sometimes baseless, arguments were heard even in Parliament, about the per cent increase to various categories of customer. Subsides that were up to 85% of cost to certain household customers were reduced in February to about 30%. Surcharges on high users remained. There was no explanation of costs, either by CEB or PUCSL, more..

Video: If you do not know English, why don’t you speak in Tamil: RW tells Tamil activist

Jun 27 (DM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe asked a Tamil activist in France to pose a question in Tamil when it seemed he was struggling to raise a question in English. The activist, during an event in France, urged the Prez to address humanitarian issues in SL before focusing on other issues. Activist also opined that he does not believe the Govt in SL was democratic. Prez responded saying he could not understand what the activist was trying to say and asked him to speak in Tamil if he more..

අපේ ඡන්ද අයිතිය UNHRC අවධානයට!

Navigating dire straits: Reviving resiliently

Jun 27 (FT) It was indeed a memorable event when the National Human Resource Conference (NHRC) 2023 organised by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) took place last week, after a lapse of three years. I was so delighted to be one of the speakers in sharing my thoughts on sustainable people practices. The overarching theme was navigating the dire straits which was very much fitting to the overall experience as a recovering nation. Today’s column is a reflection of more..

Shares close lower on profit taking

Jun 27 (EN) Shares closed lower on Tuesday, on profit taking as fears on domestic debt optimization ease, an analyst said. The main All Share Price Index was down 0.52% or 49.33 points at 9,384.93, while the most liquid index S&P SL20 was up 0.73% or 19.94 points at 2,694.92. Banks will operate as usual as a domestic debt optimization goes though through cabinet and parliamentary committees during five days of holidays, CB Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. more..

Mahavamsa: Great Chronicle of SL added to UNESCO Memory of the World Register

Jun 27 (AD) Great Chronicle of SL, Mahavamsa has been listed among the 64 new items of documentary heritage inscribed on the UNESCO’s Memory of the World (MoW) Int'l Register in 2023. Mahavamsa covers the historical accounts of SL from the period 6th Century BCE to 1815 CE. Mahavamsa – one of the world’s longest unbroken historical accounts – is the first of its kind in South Asia, initiating a mature historiographic more..

Eight arrested over killing of father and son in Hanguranketha

Jun 27 (AD) Police today arrested 08 suspects over their complicity in the murder of a youth in Hanguranketha area. The suspects, aged between 19 and 63 years, were taken into custody after they surrendered to the Kandy Police earlier today. They were identified as residents of Mathurata, Rikillagaskadawala and Udawaththakumbura areas. A 48-year-old woman is also among the arrestees. Last Wednesday, a 23-year-old named Sandalu Santhush and his father sustained critical more..