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Sunday December 07th, 2008 |
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Crucial
meetings to decide on polls
With government confident of winning the third reading of the
Budget tomorrow coupled with continuous military victories in
the North, political sources have predicted that President
Rajapaksa will go for a snap poll.
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UNP says “enough”
UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe invited Minister Karu Jayasuriya
and other members who left the party as well as the other
parties, to unite with the UNP in order to defeat what he termed
the corrupt government of Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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Supreme Court directs People’s Bank to
sell mortgaged Yashoda assets
The Supreme Court this week dismissing an appeal by Yashoda
Holdings (Pvt) Ltd challenging a People’s Bank’s resolution to
sell the assets mortgaged to the Bank by the Company Managing
Director...
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To Haiti with love
Wanni Security Forces
Commander Major General Jagath Jayasuriya handing over the UN
flag to one of the soldiers leaving for Haiti on United Nations
peace keeping duties during a ceremonial parade in Panagoda. Sri
Lanka sent 750 troopers attached to the Ninth Battalion to
replace a similar number of soldiers already serving in Haiti
(Pic by Pushpakumara Matugama)
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WANNI
OPERATIONS: UPDATE ON DECEMBER 6TH
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Police assault case takes new twist
The Police assault of Kurugamage Don Pradeep and his friend
Laksiri, which was brought to light by the Asian Human Rights
Commission, has taken a new turn with the traffic Policeman of
the Kohuwala Station who allegedly initiated the assault,
offering a cash payment to the victims...
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INSIDE
Railway carriage order a
huge muddle?
The furore over the recently imported 100 train compartments
valued at a whopping Rs.2.5 billion chugged to another twist
yesterday, with the revelation...
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Presidential Task Force to monitor NGOs
in the offing
The Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to look into the
operations of NGOs and INGOs has recommended the establishment
of a special presidential task force to monitor NGO and INGO
activities...
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NEWS |
Battle axes at war
History tells us that today’s sworn enemies, Jews and
Arabs, once lived amicably when both were battling
Christian crusaders. But in little Sri Lanka, two top
women bureaucrats serving in war torn areas, are said to
be having a battle royal with neither willing to work...
SEE INSIDETerror plots targeting Colombo uncovered
Two massive Tiger terror
plots to be unleashed in Colombo and Jaffna, were busted this
week.
The breakthrough into the Colombo terror plot was made when a
special intelligence unit from Colombo took into custody the
biggest suicide kit discovered up to now, along with a specially
trained Tiger suicide cadre and his accomplices at a point
between Rambewa...
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Reluctance to show ID cards by hospital
staff in N&E irks GMOA
Government Medical officers’ Association (GMOA) condemns the
errant behaviour of the staff of the hospitals in the north and
east, towards the security officials who are asked to check the
hospital staff prior to their entry to the hospitals.
GMOA Spokesman Dr. Upul Gunasekara told The Nation that they
should...
SEE INSIDE President’s Turkey visit opens up
education opportunities
President
Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to the island last Friday after a
successful visit to Turkey at the invitation of the Turkish
Prime Minister. He was the first Lankan Head of State to visit
Turkey after independence.
During his visit, President Rajapaksa held a discussion with his
Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gal. Later, dignitaries...
SEE INSIDE Women plead guilty to engaging in the
world’s oldest profession
Three pleasure women who pleaded guilty before the Puttlam
Magistrate to the charge of engaging in prostitution in an
A-Grade Tourist Board approved hotel at Karuwalagasweva near
Thabbowa Lake were fined Rs.500 each by Chief Magistrate Klietus
Anthony Dep on Friday (5).
The Karuwalagasweva Police had raided...
SEE INSIDE Festschrift for Professor Ashley Halpe
A festschrift volume dedicated to Prof. Ashley Halpe titled,
‘Arbiters of a National Imaginary: Essays on Sri Lanka –
Festschrift for Professor Ashley Halpe,’ edited by Chelva
Kanaganayagam will be launched at the Lakshman Kadirgamar
Institute of International Relations Auditorium on Tuesday,
December 9 at 5:30 p.m.
The essays...
SEE INSIDE Missing female soldier found
The female soldier, Anepurage Priyani, who was missing since
November 19, was found on December 4 in Medagama in the
Dambagalle Police Division.
SEE INSIDE Foreign Minister opens new public
relations bureau
The
Foreign Affairs Ministry said it has taken steps to open a
public relations bureau with the objective to meet the wider
expectations of the public.
It will function under the direct supervision of Minister
Rohitha Bogollagama in order to ensure that the benefits could
flow to the masses in a more secured...
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POLITICS |
Pranab Mukherjee’s visit will
be just that: A visi
 The government may have been busy last week trumpeting the military
victories in the northern battlefront, but whatever the successes on the
ground, a tough diplomatic tug-o-war also awaits in the form of renewed
pressure from New Delhi.
This is because of the somewhat surprise announcement late this week
that Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will visit
Colombo shortly. The aim of the visit, as described by Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister Muthuvelu Karunanidhi, is to ‘persuade Colombo to go for peace
talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after announcing
a ceasefire.
SEE INSIDEUNP rebellion set to erupt
 The
UNP rebellion looks set to erupt once more, with the
long anticipated reforms due to be ratified by the
party convention, being called into question once
more.
Crucial among the reforms is the creation of the
Deputy Leader and Assistant Leader positions. UNP
Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe did away with the Deputy
Leader position after his former second in command,
Karu Jayasuriya joined the ranks of the Government
in 2007. However, following a massive uprising among
party strongmen Lakshman Seneviratne, Johnston
Fernando, Thalatha Athukorale, Ravi Samaraweera and
Jayalath... SEE
INSIDE
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NEWS FEATURES |
Child Rights on the firing line
 November 20, marked the 19th anniversary of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Every state / government, that was signatory to the UNCRC that
was unanimously adopted in 1989 by the UN General Assembly,
submitted reports on the various mechanisms adopted to safeguard
the basic fundamental rights of children.
SEE
INSIDEThe Role played by the Power and Energy
Ministry during the past three years towards energy development
Energy Development is the main targeted national development
programme in the country under the Mahinda Chinthanaya. Power
and Energy Ministry has been entrusted with the responsibility
of providing the guidance and leadership to meet the electricity
requirements of the people, providing a solution to the imminent
energy crisis in the year 2012.
It is a great achievement of this Ministry, under the guidance
of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the ability to launch a
well-planned...
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New look Smith poised for Aussie
challenge
 Australia
will encounter a changed Graeme Smith when the South
African cricket team arrives in Perth Sunday.
Smith was a relatively inexperienced captain when the
South Africans toured Australia three years ago.
But it didn’t stop him making some strong statements,
especially when he suggested that Ricky Ponting’s
authority as captain was being undermined by the
frustrated ambitions of Shane Warne.
Smith proclaimed that the South Africans were confident
that they could mount a serious challenge against the
world champions, but his side was beaten 2-0 in the
three-match series and Smith failed as an opening
batsman, with a highest score of 39.
After the tour, Smith said he had been deliberately
provocative because he wanted to deflect media attention
away from other members of what was largely an
inexperienced side.
As a tactic, it backfired spectacularly. Three years on,
the South Africans are again confident but this time
they have more reason...
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Point Blank
A good eye-opener
 The events that took place over the controversial oil hedging
crisis and the subsequent suspension of Ashantha de Mel from the
post of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) chairman are further
proof that cricketers cannot be good administrators. This is a
good eye-opener for all those who still continue to toe that
line.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is already in a mess and saddled with a
load of problems leading to disunity amongst its members
following the appointment of former captain Arjuna Ranatunga as
interim committee chairman. Now comes the De Mel affair where
the former Sri Lanka fast bowler has been exposed so badly that
even his educational qualifications have been questioned by the
Supreme Court. To quote the Chief Justice “peons and arachchis
were more qualified than the CPC chairman.”
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INTERVIEWS |
Dismisses reports about rocky relations
with Bogollagama
 Foreign Ministry Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona, according to all
reports, is under siege from within. In a wide ranging interview
with The Nation, he however, dismisses reports about there being
any rift with his Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, and there being
attempts to oust him. This former Australian diplomat and former
Head of the UN Treaty Division is certainly not holding this
post for financial benefit, having held top international posts
for more than 25 years, and insists it is to serve his country.
Following are excerpts:
Q: The United Nations goes around preaching, especially to
Third World countries, but its own house is not in order. For
example, we have heard that, particularly in the important UNDP,
it is mainly employees from powerful Western countries who call
the shots. Being a one time top man in that system, how do you
see the situation?
A: I think that is an exaggeration, because there are very
senior officials who are from Third World countries. In fact,
the head of UNDP is of Turkish nationality.
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INSIDE |
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