May 15 (EN) Sri Lanka has to open both traded and non-traded sectors to competition, in order to boost productivity and drive prices down, Murtaza Jafferjee, Chairman of Advocata Institute, a Colombo-based think tank said. An unsolicited deal given to India’s Adani group without competition despite a requirement under an IMF to reduce corruption though tendering was symptomatic of the crisis facing Sri Lanka. more..

May 15 (EN) A proposed change to Telecom Regulatory law will give powers to the commission to cancel license of electronic media, undermining media freedom, the opposition has warned. “These changes to the Act contain several proposals that are detrimental to media freedom. One is the that you have to pay a fine to get your license back. Also the commission can interpret and decide what is not in the public’s interest,” Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said in parliament. more..

May 15 (DM) A delegation comprising 15 officials of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court completed a four-day training programme from May 9 to13 at the Supreme Court of India, a statement from the Indian High Commission said. During the programme, the delegates were introduced to the technological and digital transformation of the Supreme Court of India including the e-Courts project, Library, Court processes such as filing, listing, scrutiny, scanning and record keeping. more..

May 15 (AD) The guardians of two schoolgirls, who had failed to return home from the G.C.E. O/L Examination center at a school in Ambagamuwa, have filed a complaint with Ginigathhena Police. The students in question were scheduled to sit for the exam held yesterday (14) at the Ambagamuwa National School’s examination center last morning. According to the complaint, one of the students had arrived at the examination center accompanied by her parents. more..

May 15 (AD) It has been revealed during the meeting of the COPE that about 130 engineers of the CEB have left the service as of recently. Responding to a question put forward by MP Madhura Withanage during the meeting, the Deputy Managing Director of CEB Palitha Perera said that there are 330 vacancies for engineers in total presently. “130 have resigned last year and within the first 4 months of this year. We have a shortfall of 330 engineers because we did not recruit more..

May 15 (Island) TNA MP M.A.Sumanthiran told Parliament that the Tamils’ struggle was a struggle for justice. “It is a reasonable struggle for political rights. Our struggle may be too long and hazardous. But we will attain a just solution if we continue in the non-violent path without deviating from it,” he said. “This week we commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Mullivaikkal killings and other atrocities. more..

May 15 (FT) Pathfinder Foundation Founder and diplomat Milinda Moragoda yesterday released a six-point statement concerning the present economic situation. “The bitter truth that half-hearted economic reforms by successive govts have been a major contributory factor to the current economic crisis,” Milinda Moragoda said. He stated that It is critical that all political parties and society at large come to terms with the fact that economic reform and privatisation are integral components of more..

May 15 (EN) Sri Lanka has made several requests from the Russian Ambassador to Colombo, the Defense Secretary has said. “One is that they provide us with a list of SL war heroes (ranaviruvo) engaged in the war,” Kamal Gunaratne said. “Then a complete list of the dead, so we can inform their family that their war hero died in that war.” SL has also learnt that there are injured soldiers. “We asked that they repatriate the injured, so we can look after them in our Army Hospital.” more..

May 15 (Island) General Secretary of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, is scheduled to visit Mullivaikkal, in the Mullaithivu District, where the combined security forces defeated the LTTE. The visit is scheduled to take place on 18 May, the day before the military killed LTTE leader V Prabhakaran, 15 years ago. Amnesty International confirmed the visit. London headquartered group said that its Secretary more..

May 15 (DM) A tense situation was reported near the Presidential Secretariat due to a protest by the Citizen Power Organization Against Bribery, Corruption and Waste this morning. Protesters demand the govt take action against the decision to restore the vehicle permits to the MPs. Soon after the protest started, the police removed the banners and as a result, the heated situation occurred. Later, protestors handed over a memorandum to Prez's Additional Secretary, Kapila Munasinghe. more..

May 15 (FT) Young Journalists Association of SL in a letter to Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has called for an investigation to be launched regarding the arrests of four persons in Sampur for holding a commemoration event in remembrance of the Mullivaikkal war dead. The YJA said the police had obtained a court order prohibiting the distribution of porridge and there have been several similar instances in the past. “Despite the HRCSL’s 2016 recommendation to uphold the right to more..

May 15 (EN) General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) has received 956 applications for its paid medical degree program from students who passed local and London A Levels, State Minister Premitha Bandara Tennakoon said. “We have received 956 eligible applications; 868 from local syllabus and from London syllabus 88,” Tennakoon told reporters. Cabinet approved paid medical degrees at KDU on April 2024. KDU charges 12.5 million rupees for its medical degree. more..

May 15 (FT) Sustaining Stability is the oxymoronic title of the recent panel discussion organised by the Central Bank. How to make a three-legged stool stand on two legs would have been a more commonsensical, down to earth title for the profoundly perplexing exchange of views by five panellists – all steeped in the science of economics. That makes it easy. A repetition of remarks made by participants or attempting to qualify who said what, is not necessary. more..

May 15 (TM) Sri Lanka’s visa problem that doubled the visa cost to $ 100 was due to a technical issue as the visa processing company missed out on the 30-day visa, Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said. Speaking to CNBC, he said that the technical issue happened in connection with the country moving away from Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to requiring travellers to have an e-visa which was processed by VFS Global. more..

May 15 (AD) The Joint Committee of University Trade Unions says they have decided to further intensify their strike action due to delays in addressing their demands. Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee of University Trade Unions Dhammika S. Priyantha stated that the association unanimously agreed to withdraw from all voluntary services within universities. This includes halting the supply of water and electricity, as well as discontinuing internet facilities. more..

May 15 (TM) Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court has issued an order on several trade union leaders of the JVP and others over a protest march planned in Colombo yesterday (15). Accordingly, the court order prevents K.D. Lal Kantha, Mahinda Jayasinghe, Ranjan Jayalal and other protestors from inconveniencing the public or pedestrians along several major roads in Colombo including Dean’s Road, T.B. Jayah Mawatha, Technical Junction, Ibbanwala Junction. more..

May 15 (DM) Indian High Commissioner Santos Jha, in an interview with a select group of journalists, discusses the current status of bilateral ties and the future direction. Q: It has been a little over four months since you assumed duties as High Commissioner here. What are your initial impressions? A: Coming to SL as India’s High Commissioner was in some way a homecoming for me - in a role with greater responsibility. more..

May 15 (DM) In the wake of the recent mass withdrawal of AstraZeneca vaccines due to concerns over rare blood clots, SL health experts emphasized that individuals who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine need not harbour undue fears regarding its safety. Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama, Chairman of the NMRA, referenced a case in which the manufacturer of AstraZeneca acknowledged that complications from the vaccine are exceedingly rare, a fact they had previously admitted. more..

May 15 (AD) The Court of Appeal has issued an order to the Director General of the Wildlife Conservation Dept and the IGP to take action to prevent the illegal deforestation taking place within the Bogahapalassa Forest Reserve. This order has been issued by a judge bench consisting of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Justice Sasi Mahendran, while considering a petition submitted by the Centre for Environmental Justice. more..

May 15 (FT) It is important to realise that the mere reduction of an import duty at the border, through an FTA does not mean free market access for SL goods to the Indian or any other market since there are many non-tariff barriers and trade facilitation documentation issues facing our exports to those markets. An UNCTAD Study on Non Tariff Measures in China and India (2020) noted that despite reduction in import duties at the border, a host of NTMs as sanitary and phytosanitary more..

May 15 (DM) Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today issued a conditional order preventing a YouTube channel from publishing and communicating defamatory information against Army Commander Lt General Vikum Liyanage, under the newly enacted Online Safety Act. Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage issued a conditional order in favour of the Army Commander in terms of Section 24 (1) and Section 24 (2) of the Online Safety Act No. 09 of 2024 and directed that more..

May 15 (TM) In the wake of growing concern about multiple rackets involved in sending retired SL armed forces personnel to Russia and Ukraine as mercenaries, Opposition MP Gamini Waleboda urged the Speaker of the Parliament to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to look into the matter. Over the last month, families of victims and Sri Lankan caught up in the mercenary racket have aired their grievances, some calling more..

May 15 (FT) SJB MP Imthiaz Bakeer Markar said the current humanitarian crisis in Palestine is a product of international political interests. Speaking in parliament at the Adjournment Debate on the Palestine Issue, he also pointed out the contradiction in Israel’s stance. “While Israeli propaganda suggests an end to the conflict if Israeli hostages are freed, statements from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his govt ministers have emphasised their determination to continue the war, more..

May 15 (TM) Two players of the SL team namely batter Kusal Mendis and pacer Asitha Fernando were left stranded due to delays in their visas being issued on time, SLC CEO Ashley de Silva said. This happened as the rest of their mates flew out to New York via Dubai last morning (14), to contest the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next month. He said the SLC was currently liaising with the US Embassy in Colombo to expedite the departure of the duo and expressed hope that before Friday (17), more..

May 15 (DM) U.S. State Dept has sought to intervene in the drafting of SL's new piece of legislation that, if enacted, will provide for the registration of both local and international NGOs in the country, a top source said yesterday. The final draft of the law titled ‘Non-governmental Organizations (Registration and Supervision) Bill is now pending with the Attorney General for certification before being announced more..

May 15 (UN) Bishop Vincent Marius Joseph Peiris, the auxiliary bishop of Colombo Archdiocese, who was known for his simplicity and pivotal roles in priestly formation and empowerment of lay people, has passed away. Peiris died at the Evening Star retirement facility in Colombo on May 13 at the age of 83, Colombo Archdiocese said in a notice. Catholics paid tributes to him for his simple, down-to-earth personality and his contributions to various Church ministries for decades. more..

May 15 (DM) In line with the objectives to foster a deeper and more liquid foreign exchange market and develop adequate systems for managing exchange rate risks, the Central Bank (CB) plans to implement the FX Global Code (FXGC) in the domestic forex market by the end of this year. CB recently revealed that it is in discussions with the ACI Financial Markets Association and market participants to enable it to implement the anticipated FX Global Code (FXGC). more..

May 15 (DM) If the MPs who have applied for liquor licenses are to face punishment, as the Opposition Leader suggests, it raises suspicions on how many MPs will remain loyal to him, Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. He said no arrangements have been made to provide liquor licenses to any of the parliamentarians' friends or acquaintances. The Opposition Leader claimed no such project was launched, but he repeats that over and over again. more..

May 15 (DM) All non-academic employees are requested to return to work, prioritising the welfare of the students, UGC Chairman Sampath Amaratunge said. He said that due to the ongoing trade union strike by non-academic employees, the country's university system is facing a significant crisis. Due to the ongoing non-academic employee strike, most of the lecturers conduct lectures through online platforms. About 3,500 resident students of the Rajarata University have left their hostels. more..

May 15 (DM) Sampur Police Station has obtained a court order from the Muthur Magistrate's Court to prohibit planned celebrations in several Eastern Province areas to commemorate deceased members of the LTTE, particularly those who died in Vellamulli Vaikkal in 2009. This is following information from the intelligence agencies. On attempting to enforce the court order, OIC of Sampur Police Station more..

May 15 (DN) I am satisfied with the team for the T-20 World Cup. As a skipper I got the requested team for this World Cup and hope to do well said SL T-20 skipper Wanindu Hasaranga before the team departure yesterday. Few of our bowlers had chance to play IPL and they are added to the team after good exposure from IPL. Our batters also really performed well during T- 20 preparation matches at R. Premadasa Int'l cricket stadium. as a team we have good bowlers as well as batters more..

May 15 (DM) SL Export Development Board (SLEDB) yesterday announced it entered into a strategic partnership with People’s Bank to boost the local export sector. The partnership between EDB and the state bank endeavours to invigorate the country’s export landscape by identifying and supporting existing exporters, fostering potential market entrants, and catalysing economic growth through amplified foreign exchange earnings and enhanced employment opportunities. more..