Srilankans.com

News and Social Networking for Sri Lankans

Editor's Blog – September 2009 Archive (110)

Nearly 20,000 escape from IDP centres

island.lk

Most believed to be LTTE cadres

At least 20,000 of the nearly 300,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Vavuniya camps had escaped, SSP for Kandy Ranjith Kasturiratna said at the Kandy District coordinating committee meeting, chaired by Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake, on Monday.

SSP Kasturiratne said special police teams from Kandy had been dispatched to the IDP… Continue

Added by Editor on September 30, 2009 at 4:04pm — No Comments

Bail application refused

dailymirror.lk

Bail application refused

magistrate yesterday turned down an application seeking bail for suspects in the alleged abduction and assault of SLIIT student Nipuna Ramanayake and ordered that they be further remanded till October 13.

Kaduwela Additional District Judge and Magistrate Amal Ranaraja based his refusal on the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code which prevented the granting… Continue

Added by Editor on September 30, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

EU to discuss GSP+ next month, diplomats confident

dailymirror.lk

The Commission of the European Union (EU), looking into the GSP Plus trade concession for Sri Lanka, will discuss the matter mid next month before a final decision is made by year end, EU sources in Colombo told Daily Mirror online.

The EU Commission will convene on October 15 to discuss the trade concession for Sri Lanka and will later have up to two months to decide whether Sri Lanka should be given an… Continue

Added by Editor on September 30, 2009 at 3:59pm — No Comments

UN envoy concerned over the slow pace of IDP release

dailymirror.lk

Walter Kaelin, the Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, said the restoration of freedom of movement for more than 250,000 internally displaced persons held in closed camps in Northern Sri Lanka was becoming a matter of urgency, and that he remained very much concerned about the very slow pace of releases.

In a statement yesterday on his… Continue

Added by Editor on September 30, 2009 at 3:56pm — No Comments

PB Treasury boss again

dailymirror.lk

Budget or Vote on Account for 2010: Govt. to consult PB

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday reappointed Dr. P.B. Jayasundara as the Treasury Secretary. Dr. Jayasundara had held this post since 2004 till he vacated it on a Supreme Court ruling on a fundamental rights petition.

The Supreme Court in its ruling held him responsible for fraud and corruption in the privatization of Lanka… Continue

Added by Editor on September 29, 2009 at 5:53pm — No Comments

Nishantha tells Court, Police threatened to kill him

island.lk

Controversial UPFA Galle District candidate for the forthcoming Southern Provincial Council elections and Akmeemana electorate SLFP organizer Nishantha Muthuhettigama yesterday told the Galle Chief Magistrate Thamara Tennekoon that he had been threatened with death by the Galle Harbour Police. He said he had no faith in the police.

Muthuhettigama was addressing the Court from the dock after seeking the… Continue

Added by Editor on September 29, 2009 at 5:52pm — No Comments

Kotelawela pledges to grant 1/6 of personal assets

dailymirror.lk

Ceylinco Group Chief Lalith Kotelawela yesterday pledged to submit an affidavit before the Fort Magistrate to grant 1/6 of his personal assets to the proposed repayment scheme of Rs. 3.9 million allegedly defrauded by the F&G Real Estate Company headed by him.

Appearing on behalf of Mr. Kotelawela, President’s Counsel Rienzie Arsekularatne said his client would grant 1/6 of his personal assets to the… Continue

Added by Editor on September 29, 2009 at 5:50pm — No Comments

Don’t interfere: Lanka tells UN

dailymirror.lk

Sri Lanka yesterday told the United Nations it should respect UN charter’s Article 2 (7) which states that the UN should not interfere in the internal affairs of another country.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake in his address to the UN General Assembly asserted that multilateralism as found in the UN agenda was not about the UN responding only to the demands of a minority of powerful States, but it was… Continue

Added by Editor on September 28, 2009 at 4:53pm — No Comments

Kouchner, Miliband want to visit Lanka again

dailymirror.lk

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and his British counterpart David Milliband have indicated their wish to visit Sri Lanka again to assess the situation of the displaced people in the north, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday.

The request was made to Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama when he met his French and British counterparts at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on… Continue

Added by Editor on September 28, 2009 at 4:51pm — No Comments

Norway, Solheim helped establish LTTE-Eritrea links for arms deals

island.lk

The Norwegian government helped the LTTE to establish relations with Eritrea, which allowed the group to purchase arms, ammunition and equipment from China on Eritrean end-user certificates and other documents needed to legally buy weapons, according to well informed sources.

Sources said the tripartite understanding had been reached in Norway as far back as 2002-2003, when it facilitated negotiations… Continue

Added by Editor on September 28, 2009 at 4:49pm — No Comments

Curb corruption to get GSP+: Ranil

dailymirror

Opposition UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday that the renewing of the GSP+ concession was a certainty if the United Nations pact against corruption was implemented and democracy was firmly upheld in Sri Lanka.

“No one, not even a ‘Sakaraya’ could stop the GSP+ if democracy and human rights are preserved and corruption is arrested in the country,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said when he addressed the… Continue

Added by Editor on September 28, 2009 at 4:48pm — No Comments

Pathetic Sri Lankans set to make early exit

island.k

Sangakkara fined 20 percent for slow over-rate

On a day when Sri Lanka required to come out with all guns blazing, they put up one of their worst displays in One-Day cricket to get extremely close to exiting the Champions Trophy after losing their must win last group game to New Zealand, whom they had incidentally thrashed at home prior to the tournament, by 38 runs here at the Wanderers in Johannesburg… Continue

Added by Editor on September 28, 2009 at 4:46pm — No Comments

PBJ as Cabinet sec

sundaytimes.lk

Former Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera, who was cleared by the Supreme Court on Thursday to return to public office, is being considered for another position in government, and won't return to the Treasury as earlier expected, highly-placed government sources said.

They said Treasury Secretary Sumith Abeysinghe had been given another one year extension while Dr. Jayasundera is likely to be appointed… Continue

Added by Editor on September 27, 2009 at 3:29am — No Comments

Apparel industry will face "very challenging times" if GSP Plus is denied - Mahesh Amalean

sundayisland.lk

The Sri Lankan apparel industry will have to face "very challenging times" if the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Plus concessions are withdrawn by the European Union (EU), South Asia’s largest manufacturer of intimate apparel, warned last week.

"This duty-free facility is extremely vital to Sri Lanka as the country benefits significantly from these concessions to remain competitive in markets… Continue

Added by Editor on September 27, 2009 at 3:27am — No Comments

Elite Tigers received Ukrainian expertise to boosat fighting skills

sundayisland.lk

The military said that the LTTE had received expertise of Ukrainian specialists to strengthen the Sea Tigers, particularly in underwater fighting skills. Well informed sources told The Sunday Island that foreign specialists had shared their experience with elite LTTE cadres shortly after the signing of the CFA brokered by Norway in February, 2002. The Ukrainian group had visited the Vanni during the 2002-2003… Continue

Added by Editor on September 27, 2009 at 3:23am — No Comments

Bti will cost Rs. 2 billion annually

sundaytimes.lk

The Health Ministry is to seek Cabinet approval to use Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) to control the dengue epidemic – a plan which is estimated to cost Rs. 2,000 milliion annually. A Health Ministry spokesman said the money would be required for ground spraying and aerial fogging. This would include fuel and flying charges.

He said that to perform aerial fogging the ministry would have to… Continue

Added by Editor on September 27, 2009 at 3:00am — No Comments

Muthuhettigama may not run for elections-Susil

dailymirror.lk

Galle district UPFA candidate Nishantha Muthuhettigama, who had recently been referred to a psychiatrist after being released on bail, may not continue in the upcoming Southern Provincial Council electoral race, said Minister and UPFA general secy.Susil Premajayantha yesterday.

The minister told Daily Mirror that the former provincial council member and UPFA organizer had the liberty to proceed with the… Continue

Added by Editor on September 26, 2009 at 2:48pm — No Comments

CID investigating Daya Master’s and George’s activities

dailymirror.lk

The CID filing a report before the Colombo Chief Magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi yesterday informed court that they were carrying out investigations to ascertain whether the LTTE suspects Daya Master and George had been involved in any provocative activities against the government.

When the matter was taken up for magisterial inquiry, the suspects Velayudhan Dayanithi alias Daya Master and Kumaran… Continue

Added by Editor on September 26, 2009 at 2:45pm — No Comments

Keeping abduction of workers under wraps : Wimal calls for probing UN top man in Colombo

island.lk

National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa, MP yesterday said that had the UN been genuinely concerned about the Vanni population, it would not have turned a blind eye to the plight of two UN employees detained by the LTTE for helping civilians flee the terrorist controlled region.

He said the on-going high profile campaign to pressure Sri Lanka to open up all welfare centres in the northern… Continue

Added by Editor on September 26, 2009 at 2:44pm — No Comments

Morgan, Collingwood guide England to victory

dailymirror.lk

Eoin Morgan steered England to a morale-boosting six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka with a solid half-century in the Champions Trophy here yesterday.

England achieved a 213-run target on a lively track with five overs to spare in the day-night match, thanks to Morgan (62 not out), man-of-the-match Paul Collingwood (46) and Owais Shah (44).

South Africa and Sri Lanka now have one win apiece from… Continue

Added by Editor on September 26, 2009 at 2:41pm — No Comments