Sri Lanka has been inundated with requests to open Special Deposit Accounts (SDAs) declared by the government in April with everyone from foreign monthly wage earners to high net worth individuals cashing in, in a mad rush to invest. Many bankers are hoping that this won’t be a funnel for inventive black money moguls to …
Rush for “no questions-asked” foreign exchange deposits Read More »
Member of the Election Commission (EC) Prof. Ratnajeevan Hoole said he was unaware as to why the Government Printer had been instructed to print ballot papers. “Since there was no clear date set for the election, I feel it is a bit premature to order the printing of ballot papers. What if the nominations are …
Senior Officer of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) revealed Zahran Hashim’s list of reasons for choosing Sri Lanka as the location of the attack, to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing the bombings that took place on Easter Sunday 2019. Some of the reasons cited, in previously unreleased video footage of the bombers, was revenge …
Zahran’s rationale behind Easter attacks revealed Read More »
A headline in a newspaper of May 23rd quoted the Prime Minister as having said, “President and Cabinet can efficiently manage the country without parliament” (Daily Mirror May 23, 2020). The President has stated, and has been quoted many times in the media, as saying that he will not in any circumstances re-summon the dissolved …
General Elections 2020: A Defining Moment for Sri Lanka Friday Forum Read More »
Says STF will be in high demand in countering drug mafia Says the STF has a greater responsibility in countering radicalized religious extremist groups Commends the sacrifices made by STF troops during the war against LTTE terrorism Defence Secretary Maj.Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne said the Special Task Force (STF) has a major role to play …
Recently the Colombo Telegraph exposed how a Rs 700,000 personal air ticket bonanza was given to Sri Lanka’s current High Commissioner in London, courtesy tax payers by Foreign Secretary Ravinatha Aryasinha. Saroja Sirisena Colombo Telegraph can now reveal that the actual financial ‘gifts’ to Saroja Sirisena from Aryasinha is in the range of at least 13 million rupees and were …
A six day funeral for CWC leader Arumugam Thondaman, the SLPP aligned upcountry politico has sparked outrage with thousands of people violating curfew and flouting social distancing regulations in the Hill Country and Colombo to pay respects with the police turning a blind eye to the fiasco. According to official police figures more than 65,000 people …
Gota’s ‘One Country One Law’ Doctrine In Shambles Read More »
The head of Sri Lanka’s army, who is currently barred from travel to the US over his role in overseeing war crimes, met with a Sinhala Buddhist monk who has repeatedly spread hate speech and was caught on camera assaulting a Christian man, as he visited the Eastern Province last week. Shavendra Silva, the former …
Sri Lankan war criminal meets racist Buddhist monk Read More »
Responding to reports that 36 Sri Lankan workers were stranded at Bucharest Airport in Romania, the Sri Lankan envoy to Romania said the situation had arisen as most of the employees had refused to go back to their workplace. Sri Lankan Ambassador to Romania accredited from Warsaw, Poland C.A.H.M Wijeratne said the workers had refused …
Embassy says SL workers refuse to report to work Read More »
Has President Rajapaksa Appointed Defence Secretary Gen.Kamal Gunaratne as Head of Task Force to Implement “nationalistic” project to establish, through archaeological excavations, that the multi-ethnic Eastern province was once a Sinhala-Buddhist habitat ? By P.K.Balachandran Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision to entrust the survey and preservation of archaeological sites in the ethnically-mixed Eastern Province …
Gotha turning Eastern province to a Sinhala-Buddhist habitat ? Read More »
The trial of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges has opened in Jerusalem, days after he began a new term in office. Mr Netanyahu, 70, is the first standing leader to face trial in the country’s history. He denies accusations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Arrived at the courthouse for a …
Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) leader Arumugam Thondaman passed away today. He was 55 years old. Thondaman, the Cabinet Minister of Livestock and Rural Community Development had been rushed to the Thalangama base hospital. Hospital sources said that Thondaman suffered a heart attack at his home and was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. …
On the eleventh anniversary of the end of the war in Sri Lanka, the President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, intentionally promoted officers to the rank of Major General who should have been vetted and screened out of any official position, in accordance to Sri Lanka’s commitments under UN resolution 30/1 to security sector reform. “The choice of these …
International assistance to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sri Lankan police must be urgently reviewed now that a well known alleged torturer has been put in charge. Senior Superintendant of Police Adambarage Ruwan Prasanna Jayak De Alwis was appointed the new Director of CID by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday. Gotabaya Rajapaksa Prasanna de Alwis is named …
By Tamara Kunanayakam Speaking at the National War Heroes Commemoration Ceremony on 19 May 2020, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared that he will not hesitate to withdraw Sri Lanka from any international body or organisation that continuously targets the country and war heroes. The President was probably referring to the UN Office of the High Commissioner …
The closure of the 900 liquor shops for nearly two months to help contain the coronavirus has cost the state Rs. 25 billion in excise tax. The Excise Department said that illegal operators have caused 10%, or Rs 2.5 billion, of excise tax loss to the state during this period. The revenue loss is estimated …
Booze shops stay open to keep state coffers replenished Read More »
The Government has accepted an unsolicited proposal from China Harbour Engineering Company (Ltd) for the elevated expressway from Athurugiriya to New Kelani Bridge via Rajagiriya — a project for which bid documents had already been finalised to call an open tender. The CHEC bid was directed via the Board of Investment (BOI) and discussions are …
Elevated highway: Govt. accepts unsolicited proposal from Chinese company Read More »
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s rupee gained to close around 186.40/50 to the US dollars in the spot market on Thursday, dealers said, amid the collapse in domestic demand from Coronavirus curfews and import controls. The rupee closed around 187.05/15 at close on May 20. Excess liquidity in money markets dropped sharply to 97.8 billion rupees …
Sri Lanka rupee strengthens to 186.40/50 to US dollar Read More »
The Navy has been battling a rogue wave of coronavirus. Of about 1,045 Covid-19 cases, more than 578 are naval personnel. The vast majority of them are from the Welisara Navy base. It was first thought that the sailors who rounded up infected drug addicts had caused the spread of the diseases in the camp. …
Colombo, May 19 (PTI) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday warned that Sri Lanka will not hesitate to withdraw from any international forum if the country”s “war heroes” were targeted or harassed as he addressed the 11th anniversary of the end of the over three-decade long civil war against the LTTE. Tamil separatist group, the Liberation …
Rajapaksa warns Sri Lanka will withdraw from any int”l forum if ”Army” are targeted Read More »
