Nov 11 (EN) Sri Lanka's industrial production in Sept 2018 fell 0.7% from a year earlier with declines in food manufacturing. The Department of Census and Statistics said the Index of Industrial Production fell to 106.9 index points in September. An index value over 100 shows a growth in manufacturing compared to the base year of 2015. In September, food manufacturing, which accounts for just over a third of industrial production fell 2.2% from a year earlier to 105.2 points. more..

Nov 11 (ST) Sri Lanka is currently reeling from the after effects of a number of travel advisories issued recently from key markets with cancellations and a general slowing down of tourist bookings for December, the start of the peak winter season. A number of hoteliers complain that the general trend would be to fill the December month that would be booked by this time with around 75% occupancies. more..

Nov 11 (Island) Having made the tough call to axe Angelo Mathews from both the ODI and T-20 sides, Head Coach Chandika Hathurusingha told journalists that he was satisfied with the application and contribution that the former captain made in the first Test against England. Mathews scored twin fifties in the Galle Test where Sri Lanka suffered an embarrassing 211 run defeat inside four days. A bone of contention was Mathews’ poor running between the wickets record, an area that more..

Nov 11 (AD) Former MP Namal Rajapaksa says he will be joining the SLPP with immediate effect. He also says that they will form a broader coalition under the leadership of President Maithtripala Sirisena and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa to contest the upcoming General Election. “I am joining the Podujana Party effective immediately,” Rajapaksa said in tweet today (10). “We will strive to create a broader coalition with many stakeholders under the leadership of Maithripala Sirisena and more..

Nov 11 (AD) The sudden dissolution of the Sri Lankan Parliament means that over 70 of its former members are not entitled to the pension scheme provided members who have served the Legislature for a certain period. This is due to the parliamentary pension law stating that only a person who has served as a Member of the Legislature for a minimum period of five years in the aggregate shall be entitled to monthly payment of a pension. more..

Nov 11 (AD) Three university students have drowned while bathing in the Belihuloya at Pahanthudawa, Balangoda. A group of uni students had gone to bathe in the Belihuloya this morning (10) while three of them had reportedly drowned. Residents in the area had rescued the three youths and rushed to the Balangoda Hospital. However, they were pronounced dead on admission, police said. The deceased are residents of Jaffna and 3rd year students of the Sabaragamuwa Uni. more..

Nov 11 (Island) Singer (Sri Lanka) has expanded its range of TVs with the introduction of its future TVs at a ceremonial event held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo recently. During the colourful event, Singer launched the all-new Singer Epic AI TV range. The event was graced by Mohan Pandithage – Group Chairman, Mahesh Wijewardena - Group CEO, Kumar Samarasinghe – Marketing Director and several other members of the Singer SL management team. more..

Nov 11 (ST) The Anti Corruption Unit of the ICC is likely to book another high profile SL ex-int'l cricketer on corruption charges next week. Then upon its findings the Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) is likely extend its booking list. An ex-cricketing insider said, “It is certain that former SL cricket captain and selection committee chairman Sanath Jayasuriya will be charged, but his offence is such it would carry a ban of maximum 2 years. more..

Nov 11 (Hindu) Late on Friday, Prez Sirisena dissolved the SL Parliament and called a snap general election for Jan 5. The announcement came within hours of his party spokesman publicly admitting to lacking a majority in Parliament. Mr. Sirisena’s front was aiming for a majority to push its controversially installed PM Mahinda Rajapaksa through the legislature. Sri Lanka has been facing a political crisis for a fortnight now, with Mr. Sirisena abruptly sacking his PM Ranil more..

Nov 11 (AFP) SL’s largest single party said it will mount a legal challenge against tyrant Prez Sirisena’s shock sacking of the legislature. "We will go to courts," Mangala Samaraweera from UNP said. "We will fight in the courts, we will fight in parliament and we will fight at the polls." Samaraweera said his party had supported Sirisena to come to power in Jan 2015, hoping he would be a benevolent leader like Nelson Mandela of SA, but that he had shown himself to be a tyrant. more..

Nov 11 (ST) Ousted PM Ranil Wickremesinghe declared that his UNP would go to court to challenge the dissolution of parliament and insisted that Prez Sirisena and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa could not face a floor test in Parliament. He said that neither of them could show a majority to prove they commanded the confidence of Parliament. “They could not face a floor test and have instead committed a fraud on people. more..

Nov 11 (DM) Several countries including US and UK have expressed their concerns over the decision taken by Prez Sirisena to dissolve Parliament on Nov 9, days before it was due to be reconvened. “President Maithripala Sirisena's decision to dissolve Parliament poses a vital threat to SL's democratic institutions. There is much at state and such actions jeopardize Sri Lanka's economic progress and international reputation. We call on the President to respect his country's democratic tradition and more..

Nov 11 (AD) Minister Dinesh Gunawardena says that the former PM and the Speaker of Parliament should take responsibility for sabotaging the actions taken by the President, who he says acted according to the Constitution of the country. He also blamed them for causing anarchy in the country as well as in the Parliament. He stated that the President has called for fresh elections due to the unstable situation created in the country due to the statements made by the former PM and more..

Nov 11 (ST) President Maithripala Sirisena dissolved Parliament at midnight on Friday and declared that parliamentary elections would be held on January 5 next year. This is the second Friday night shocker in a fortnight for Sri Lankans and came just 24 hours after the Govt officially declared through the Govt Information Department there would be no dissolution. In politics, which makes strange bedfellows, more..

Nov 11 (Island) There is speculation that Parliament will be dissolved. Arguments have been made for and against the right of the President to dissolve Parliament at will, at any time. It is a golden rule that in interpreting a Constitution, the Constitution as a whole must be looked at, not at just one provision in isolation. If the issue is related to an amendment made to the Constitution, we need to look at the corresponding provisions before such amendment. The intention of the legislature more..

Nov 11 (Island) A significant disadvantage of being in a country several hours ahead in time is that I wake up to news from the final hours of the day in SL. On Oct 26, I woke up to news of the President swearing in Mahinda Rajapaksa as PM. On Nov 10, I woke up to the news that Parliament had been dissolved. If not already evident for long-time readers of this column, I consider the first and most treacherous act to be a debilitating blow to our democracy, the results of which polity, more..

Nov 11 (Island) Some words are more evocative than others. Coup is such a word, bringing to mind images of gun-toting soldiers and generals ousting elected politicians. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word coup originated in the medieval Latin word colpus, meaning blow. Coup d’état is a blow against the state, even when that blow is non-violent and administered by civilian politicians. more..

Nov 11 (ST) Prof. Sanath Wijesuriya, who in 2015 was at the forefront of the campaign to bring Prez Sirisena to power, used a simple analogy to describe the feelings of those who voted for Mr. Sirisena and now let down by his decision to join hands with Mahinda Rajapaksa: “It’s like a girl placing all her trust in a boy, only to have him ditch her and go off with another girl leaving her heartbroken and dejected. more..

Nov 11 (Island) The govt struggled to explain why President Sirisena delayed dissolving parliament till Friday (9) midnight when he could have done so on Oct 26 if constitutionally empowered as claimed. Prez Sirisena dissolved parliament in the wake of his failure to secure the required number of lawmakers to prove majority in parliament. In spite of repeatedly declaring having the support of over 120 MPs, more..

Nov 11 (Island) The SLFP’s former MPs are flocking to obtain membership in the newly formed SLPP to contest the upcoming general elections, amid questions on which symbol th two parties are to contest the upcoming elections. Minister S.M. Chandrasena said that several of SLFP members obtained SLPP membership yesterday with many others, including himself, expected to become SLPP members today. more..

Nov 11 (Island) The statement by the Speaker at the time Parliament was prorogued, that he was compelled to accept status quo prior to Oct. 26, makes one wonder whether a plot is being hatched to illegally, unconstitutionally and undemocratically restore rule by the UNP to perpetuate the American grip on Sri Lanka, LSSP leader, Prof. Tissa Vitarana said. Is the speaker, who should remain strictly neutral & abide by more..

Nov 11 (SO) In the wake of a probable conflict between the Executive and the Legislature, Prez Sirisena had no option other than dissolving Parliament, Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said. Even though there are divergent views with regard to the President’s power of dissolving Parliament, the Constitution clearly indicates the power vested in the Executive to dissolve Parliament, Dr. Rajapakshe said. more..

Nov 11 (CT) United National Front (UNF) led by the UNP has decided to go to the Supreme Court tomorrow (12), against President Maithripala Sirisena, for violating the Constitution and dissolving Parliament as well as calling for a General Election. Chairman of the UNP, MP Kabir Hashim, at a media briefing yesterday, said that the legal documents in connection with this are already being prepared. more..

Nov 11 (CT) The JVP has decided to go to Court against illegal dissolution of Parliament by President Sirisena. They have also decided to request Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya not to hold an illegal election, until the verdict of the Court is received. The JVP said that they are against providing a wrong precedent for the future by recognizing an act against the Constitution. “Prez is setting fire everywhere, similar to Hanuman, more..

Nov 11 (AD) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has obtained the membership of SLPP. The PM had obtained the membership at his official residence in Wijerama at around 11 am today (11). Reportedly, a group of parliamentarians representing the SLFP would obtain the membership of SLPP, along with the PM Rajapaksa. Commenting to the media, Rajapaksa stated that under the constitution, the Prez has the right to call for an election and more..

Nov 11 (SO) Joining the SLPP, immediately ahead of the Jan 5 General Election, former SLFP MP Namal Rajapaksa kick-started the party’s election campaign in Hambantota yesterday. Rajapaksa was seen holding his first meeting with the party’s supporters in preparation for the election. Rajapaksa said the party will strive to form a broader coalition under the leadership of Prez Sirisena and PM Rajapaksa to record a remarkable win. more..

Nov 12 (ST) Darkness has settled upon the land. And this time, perhaps, to reside on a more permanent footing. In this sunless hour when reason has fled to brutish beasts and the constitution has been stabbed in the back, the nation stands at the crossroads leaderless, hopeless and godless; and, with light denied, does not know which course to take, whose dictate to follow, whose word to believe. Only an overpowering sense of betrayal engulfs the nation’s soul, betrayal beyond belief, more..

Nov 12 (CT) With reversed situations now it is difficult to surmise who is ridiculed by whom. The bucket of water set up to fall on someone else, it looks like, has fallen on the head of the very person who did it. This happens because The law is an ass? Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist, (1838.) in his jest wrote, “When Mr. Bumble, the unhappy spouse of a domineering wife, is told in court that “…the law supposes that your wife acts under your direction”, replies: more..

Nov 12 (CT) One of the key personalities identified in engineering and brining in the Good Governance Govt in 2015 by ousting the existing regime led by then Prez Rajapaksa was Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera. Undaunted, he marched forward for a regime change, proposing and convincing the public as well as the authorities that it is only by Good Governance that the country can be aligned in the development trajectory and more..

Nov 12 (ST) As the core of SL’s Democratic Socialist Republic implodes in multiple critical ways today, it cannot be said that we were not forewarned. For not only Prez Sirisena but also each and every one of us must abide by a fundamental truth underlying the legal order. The Constitution cannot be selectively applied because we happen to like someone or dislike another. If this is not recognised, we are condemned to unceasingly wander in a weary cycle of constitutional more..

Nov 12 (CT) I am sick, tired and bloody fed up of reading and listening to pessimistic tales of woe on the unprecedented crisis we and our country are facing at this dark moment in time. I am also fed up to the back teeth with reading and listening to lamentations of what should have and could have been done. This in my opinion is sheer stupidity, a waste of time and energy. What has been done has been done dusted and finished. We cannot return to the past and undo it. Period! more..

Nov 12 (CT) We have to address humanitarian issues and ensure that the Northerners come out of the enormous problems they faced during the three decades of the nasty war, Northern Province Governor Reginold Cooray said. Q: How do you see your role as Governor with the Northern Province coming under your administration and with the dissolving of the NPC last month? A: I don’t think there is a big change. more..

Nov 12 (GV) For the most part of the last few weeks we have been in a suspended state of disbelief. Yes, the 2015 govt had not lived up to its expectations, some people were plotting for the next election to teach them a lesson, and then lightening struck. The PM was removed in the stealth of the night replaced by the arch-rival that the President was elected to depose, Parliament was prorogued and then dissolved and a huge cabinet appointed. Neither the PM nor the cabinet have shown that more..

Nov 12 (Island) The Opinion co-authored by Professors Savitri Goonesekere and Camena Guneratne titled Constitutional Governance in a Parliamentary Democracy is the third in a series of attacks by the Friday Forum on President Sirisena’s alleged violation of the constitution. In the present onslaught, there is a shift of focus from their earlier advocacy of employing the objective and intention of the framers for determining the impact of a disputed constitutional provision, more..

Nov 12 (GV) The first unconstitutional transfer of power in Sri Lanka’s post-independence history occurred two weeks ago. On Nov 9, the constitution was breached yet again in an attempt to consolidate that coup. President Sirisena signed an illegal proclamation to dissolve Parliament. In response, today, we sign this statement knowing that it is our actions, and those of our fellow citizens, that will determine Sri Lanka’s fate and our future at this fateful moment in history. more..

Nov 12 (CB) Sri Lanka will be without regular captain Dinesh Chandimal for at least the next Test against England - starting on Nov 14 - as he has been ruled out for two weeks with a groin injury - a grade-one tear - sustained during the first Test. In his absence, deputy skipper Suranga Lakmal will take over leadership duties. SLC has also brought in young Charith Asalanka - who wasn't on the standby list - as a replacement for Chandimal. Interestingly, the 21-year-old usurped Kusal Perera and more..

Nov 12 (Roar) Ending days of speculation, Prez Sirisena dissolved Parliament on the night of Nov 9th, calling for snap elections on Jan 5th, no more than two days after newly-appointed Govt Information Director, Nalaka Kaluwewa, issued an official statement denying what he claimed was a rumour, spread by an organized group. It was expected, however, that Prez Sirisena would either dissolve Parliament or call for a referendum, more..

Nov 12 (Island) Prez Sirisena dissolved SL’s parliament on Nov 9. Media reports suggest that he disregarded the opinion of the Attorney General who had pointed that it was a violation of the Constitution. This event is organically connected to the sacking of PM Wickremesinghe and replacing him with Mahinda Rajapaksa two weeks earlier on Oct 26. Those who support the prez’s action have cited Article 33 (2) (c) of the 19th amendment to justify dissolution of parliament. more..

Nov 12 (Island) Prez Sirisena has, true to form, cut the Gordian knot once again. He used Article 33 of the Constitution (Sinhala version) in justification of the dissolution of Parliament. His action has stirred up a real hornets’ nest. His critics call it unconstitutional; they use Article 70, introduced by the 19th Amendment, to bolster their argument. Needless to say that the Constitution is replete with ambiguities, and ad hoc amendments thereto have made the situation far worse. more..