May 17 (Island) PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila said that nominee to be the next US Ambassador to Colombo Elizabeth K. Horst had revealed that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa govt announced a ban on foreign research vessels’ entry into SL waters on January 1 this year at the behest of the US. MP pointed out that the disclosure had been made when Horst appeared before the US Senate Foreign Relations more..

May 17 (FT) The Right to Information (RTI) Commission has ordered the Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development Ministry to disclose all details, including expenses, related to the NAAM-200 event organised by Minister Jeevan Thondaman and presided over by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in November 2023. The event, marking the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Malaiyaha Tamils in Sri Lanka, was also attended by Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. more..

May 17 (DM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe informed the Daily Mirror that he is not in a position to participate in the live political debate organized by Daily Mirror and Lankadeepa between the political party leaders when an invitation was extended to him today. “I am engaged in debates in Parliament. If anyone wants to have debates with me they can join me in Parliament,” the Prez said. The Daily Mirror extended invitations to main presidential candidates Ranil Wickremesinghe, more..

May 17 (Island) Termination of electricity supply to consumers in the wake of 2022 political upheaval caused by an unprecedented economic crisis revealed a pathetic situation, MP Gevindu Cumaratunga said. Escalation of power discontinuations against the backdrop of unwarranted tariff increases at a time hydropower generation had been at its peak during the last six months of 2023 was nothing but a crime, more..

May 17 (TM) To express opposition to the delay in providing solutions to public sector executive officers’ issues, including addressing salary anomalies, as part of their ongoing trade union action, the Joint Committee of Govt Executive Officers has made a decision to commence a work to rule trade union action. According to the Joint Committee, this trade union action receives the support of more than 18,000 executive officers representing 18 sectors pertaining to more..

May 17 (TM) A former Executive Committee member of the SLFP, Montague Sarathchandra has filed a complaint with the CIABOC against former President and incumbent Opposition MP and former SLFP Chairperson Maithripala Sirisena. In a letter to the Chairperson of the CIABOC, Sarathchandra claims that Party supporters are speculating that Sirisena has paid compensation to the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks, with an advance obtained from selling the SLFP. more..

May 17 (DM) The Court of Appeal has issued an interim order to release a flock of animals back to an animal lover, following their seizure by Wildlife Department officials for an alleged violation of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance. The Court of Appeal Justice Mohammed Laffar further issued an interim order staying the proceeding in the Welisara Magistrate Court Case against the petitioner Shafeek Shuail until the conclusion of this writ application. more..

May 17 (FT) The family of the late Minister M.H.M. Ashraff has disassociated itself from President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposal to construct a memorial museum in the late politician’s honour in Kalmunai, at an estimated cost of Rs. 25 million. Taking to X son of the late Minister, Aman Ashraff said neither he nor his mother former Minister Ferial Ashraff are associated with the project. Commenting on the Government’s proposal, Aman expressed that if his father were alive, more..

May 17 (FT) DPF MP Mano Ganesan yesterday condemned both the international community and Sri Lankan authorities following the recent arrest of Tamil women in Sampur, SL. Taking to X Ganesan criticised the international community, alleging its failure to support the Tamil community throughout Sri Lanka’s turbulent history. “The international community has completely failed the Tamil people of SL,” remarked MP more..

May 17 (Island) Dissident SLPP MP Prof. G.L. Peiris and General Secretary of SJB Ranjith Madduma Bandara yesterday briefed the Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake regarding their growing concerns about the devious actions of the govt. Following the briefing Prof Peiris told the media that they had brought Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recent declaration that he wouldn’t comment on the prez poll until the completion of action in respect of the ongoing IMF-led programme. more..

May 17 (DN) SL Under-19 team is set to tour England on June 19 for three unofficial ODIs and two four-day games, with preparations already underway, according to a senior official from SLC. This tour is part of the team’s build-up for the next ICC Under-19 World Cup, scheduled to be held in 2026 in Namibia and Zimbabwe. Vinodan John, Chairman of the National Junior Selection Committee, along with members Shane Fernando, Duminda Wickramasinghe, more..

May 17 (FT) SLT-Mobitel has reported a flat growth in Q1 2024 ending 31 March, amidst a challenging business environment. However, company’s proactive cost management initiatives have resulted in significant operational cost savings, enabling it to maintain profitability, SLT said in a statement. For the quarter, SLT Group has recorded consolidated revenue of Rs. 26.93 billion, reflecting a marginal 1.4% year-on-year increase. However, compared to the fourth quarter of more..

May 17 (TM) SriLankan Cargo, the cargo arm of SriLankan Airlines, has partnered with CargoAi, a leader in digital freight solutions, to simplify and enhance its airfreight booking and payment processes to bring more transparency and velocity for users than ever. SriLankan Airlines Head of Cargo Chaminda Perera commenting on the joint venture said:“Our partnership with CargoAi marks another significant stride in our digitalisation journey, aimed at expanding our horizons. more..

May 17 (DM) Amidst the prevailing inclement weather worsened by gusty winds, the CMC has identified about 200 old and huge trees in the city to be removed as soon as possible owing to the grave risk they pose to the public. Following the incident where a large tree fell on a bus on Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha near the Kollupitiya Junction in October last year that claimed five lives and many casualties, CMC has identified more..

May 17 (EN) A patient rights charter will be introduced to ensure the safety of patients admitted to hospitals, amid complaints that patients are not heard, Health and Industry Minister Dr Ramesh Pathirana has said. “The fact that the medical and health staff sometimes do not listen to the patient is an opinion shared by patients all over the world, and in this regard, the Ministry of Health received nearly 700 complaints last year,” Pathirana was quoted in a statement. more..

May 17 (Island) The question cited above was the title of an article published in Ceylon Today by Sathya Moorthy (SM), who identifies himself as a Chennai based Policy Analyst/Political Commentator (Friday 10).The answer to his question is – NOT YET. For the present, stealing is limited to marine assets and the destruction of its habitat in the process by Indian fishermen. These practices have been going on for decades. By resorting to bottom trawling not only is the habitat destroyed more..

May 17 (FT) Advocata Institute Chairman Murtaza Jafferjee last week raised concerns regarding the Govt’s procurement of renewable energy from Adani Group without a tender process, especially when the going rate for such projects is significantly lower. He highlighted the Cabinet decision on 29 April 2024 to allocate 484 MW of wind power to Adani Group in Mannar at a rate of $ 0.0826 per unit. more..

May 17 (BBC) ICC officials have no fears over the pitches being used at a temporary stadium in New York for the men's T20 World Cup. The finishing touches are being applied to the 34,000-seat stadium in Eisenhower Park in Nassau County, east of Manhattan, with the tournament just over a fortnight away. Four drop-in pitches are now in place at the venue which is set to host eight World Cup matches, including a highly-anticipated meeting between India and Pakistan. more..

May 17 (DN) Leadership does not put pressure on me and I always play my normal game said Pasindu Sooriyabandara who led the Sri Lanka ‘A‘ side to an innings win over Afghanistan ‘A’ in their four day game at P.Sara Oval Stadium. The 23 year old 2018 Royal skipper Sooriyabandara in an exclusive interview with Daily News said I am very pleased to get leadership and lucky to win first Sri Lanka ’A‘ match under my leadership and it is a very happy and memorable moment. more..

May 17 (ST) Further galvanising the tourism boom, the govt is aiming to develop more than 15 Forts around the country, top officials said. Amongst these Galle Fort, Jaffna Fort, Trincomalee Fort/ Fort Fredrick, Batticaloa Fort, Mannar Fort, Matara Star Fort, Kalpitiya Dutch Fort, Ratnapura Malwala Palace Fort will be initially looked at, they added. “Blessed with Forts and fortresses this is a glorious past and an amazing history that will fascinate the tourists. more..

May 17 (CT) The current heated arguments about the privatisation process of State-owned enterprises (SOEs) demonstrate that the ongoing economic reform processes should continue and not be side-tracked by conflicting political interests and agendas. Former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa, this week, officially demanded the Govt to suspend all activities related to the privatisation programme until the upcoming Prez Election. This demand can be seen as an effort by his party to depart from more..

May 17 (FT) SL’s manufacturing sector in April failed to sustain the strong upturn recorded in the first quarter of 2024, whilst the services sector showed a sluggish expansion, as per the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI). Following the seasonal pattern, the Manufacturing PMI recorded an index value of 42.0 in April 2024, indicating a contraction in manufacturing activities. In the first three months the Manufacturing PMI turned more..

May 17 (FT) Trillium Group, a leading real estate developer in SL, yesterday began the construction for its highly anticipated project, Trillium Duplex – Colombo 5 located in the residential side of Colombo 5 on a private road called Lionel Edirisinghe Mawatha. This marks the third real estate development Trillium has engaged in, in the Colombo 5 locality, with the other two being the Trillium Tower Colombo 5, and Trillium Havelock Residencies. With total project value of $15m more..

May 17 (EN) Former President and leader of the ruling SLPP Mahinda Rajapaksa has seemingly upped the ante on his anti-privatisation rhetoric, claiming that a majority of his party are opposed to the “sale of national assets”, even as ministers representing the party continue to defend ongoing reforms. Rajapaksa told reporters on Thursday (16) that 99% of the party share his views on the matter. “It’s not just me, the majority of our party, 99%, are of this view,” he said more..

May 17 (Island) A govt move to set up ad hoc community level advisory committees to handle election-oriented development work, etc., has run into stiff resistance. Its plan to appoint former SLPP and UNP local councillors to the outfits to be established has gone awry due to a legal snag. There is hardly anything that a sinking regime does not do to retain its hold on power and avoid disastrous electoral defeats. The incumbent SLPP-UNP dispensation may have thought that more..

May 17 (TM) As SL scrambles to address the issue of former armed forces personnel joining combat in foreign conflicts, the lack of regulations and legislative safeguards to prevent such issues from victimising vulnerable Sri Lankans, and potentially dragging the island nation into a foreign policy crisis. Yesterday, the Prez moved to dispatch a team of senior officials including the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, and a yet-unnamed former Ambassador to Russia, to look into the Sri Lankans more..

May 17 (TM) Analysing critical issues and proposing practical solutions are crucial for safeguarding community wellbeing and fostering sustainable progress. The recent insights from the Parliamentary Committee on Ways and Means shed light on various environmental challenges affecting communities across SL. From tackling persistent leaks in the Samanalawewa Dam to addressing the intricate human-elephant conflict (HEC) more..

May 17 (CT) In this beautiful island nation of SL, a shadow looms large, shaping much of the turmoil and instability that grips its society. This shadow is corruption, a pervasive issue that seeps through the layers of governance, eroding the trust between the people and their leaders, and undermining the foundations of social and economic development. The claim that corruption is the root cause of the social instability in SL is not an exaggeration; rather, it is a reflection of a harsh reality. more..

May 17 (CT) Leprosy, often referred to as Hansen’s disease, stands as one of humanity’s oldest and most stigmatised afflictions, evoking fear and misconception over many decades. This ancient malady, if left untreated, can exact a heavy toll, leading to debilitating deformities and disabilities that profoundly impact individuals’ lives. In Sri Lanka, despite significant strides in healthcare, the spectre of leprosy persists, with an average of 1,500 new cases detected annually. more..

May 17 (TM) The recent removal of former State Minister Diana Gamage from her Parliamentary seat due to her UK citizenship has reignited debates surrounding MPs holding dual citizenship or being devoid of SL citizenship. The latest incident, which was preceded by the removal of then-MP and incumbent State Minister Geetha Kumarasinghe's removal over her Switzerland citizenship several years ago, has shed light on the challenges more..

May 17 (DM) The killing of civilians and other atrocities were widespread during the 3-decade war mostly in the North and the East. The SL armed forces, police and the LTTE are alleged to be responsible for many such massacres according to eye witnesses and circumstantial evidence. It’s rare that the Sri Lankan armed forces and police have been held accountable through domestic courts for such killings. Below are some observations and reflections on such a rare case, based on more..

May 17 (DM) SL is divided politically at present. Many years ago this country was divided in terms of race. Politics seems to be the cause of all this evil. Now we are told to prepare for a prez election which is expected this year. Exactly eight days ago (9) people of this country were reminded that two years had passed after the Aragalaya (Protest) took place. Largely these protests were held in and around Colombo; some protests took place in other places outside Western province, more..