Sri Lanka's JVP to hold convention to sack dissidents

Sri Lanka Marxist People'e Liberation Front (JVP) will ho;d its general assembly as scheduled tomorrow at Debaraweva in the Hambanthora district.

Colombo district Judge Ranjith N. Warhupola yesterday rejected to issue an injunction against the convention requested by two JVP Central Committee members.

JVP MP Ajith Kumara and Politburo member G. Kularathna cited in their petitions that the JVP general assembly was illegal and aimed at causing injustice to them. They pointed out that the party secretary had submitted a list of members in September to the Election Commissioner comprising 226 members loyal to the leaders. This list is in addition to a list of 954 members earlier submitted.

JVP Somawansa Amarasinghe faction has planned to sack over 10 Central Committee members that belong to the dissident group and appoint a new Central Committee. The general assembly is expected to seal the party division and guarantee the legal ownership to the Somawansa Amarasinghe group.

The District Judge fixed the hearing of petition on January 06 and summoned 22 respondents to appear in court on that day.

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A Presidential Committee; a good tactic to paddle through the troubled waters of Advanced Level results crisis of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to appoint a committee to probe the issues related to the G.C.E. Advanced Level examination results.

The committee will probe the irregularities of the result issuing process of the highly competitive examination and it is assigned to forward recommendations to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Minister of Higher Education S.B. Disanayaka says that recommendations will be requested from the committee regarding amending the 1968 examination act that is effect now.

The high level committee comprises of three Vice Chancellors of universities and a Supreme Court judge, sources say.

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Close associate of ruling family kills a British tourist in Sri Lanka

President with the assassin

A close associate of Rajapaksa family killed a British national tourist at a tourist hotel in the home town of Sri Lanka President himself and also injured the Russian national girlfriend of the deceased.

The incident was reported internationally and the tourism industry of the area if not the entire island is taking the brunt of it.

The culprit Sampath Chandra Pushpa Vidanapathirana is a young son of a close associate of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Father Chandra Pushpa was the Chairman of the Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha. His son was well supported by Rajapaksa family at the last election.

Chandra Pushpa, Jr, has familial links with thuggery, gang activity and violence in addition to what is called by them as politics.

On the doomsday, drunk to the brim, he and his gang quarreled with foreign tourists in a hotel in the are under his influence, assaulted some of them, brutally assassinated one, caused severe injuries to the deceased's woman who involved to save his life, perhaps sexually molested her as reported by media and fired guns before fleeing the scene to hide for a few days following which he surrendered due to pressure perhaps from his bosses.

The deceased, Kuram Shaikah Zaman, from Manchester, UK, who was on leave from his job in the Gaza Strip, where he worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross as a physical rehabilitation programme manager, had been photographing the misdemeanor of  the local gang.

Chandra Pushpa is a terrorist and a traitor. He terrorized the tourists in Tangalle and made them to flee. International news on his demeaning 'politics' will keep the decent tourists away from Sri Lanka.

This youngster gangster seems not a guy that can understand the depth of his crime that can affect to the economy of a country.

These gun wielding, brainless gang stars are the youth ushered by the next generation of Rajapaksa dynasty.

However, a little late, proud father of this brutality has ordered a partial investigation regarding the incident. Partial police investigation proves through the President's request rare otherwise

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Dugong the Sri Lankan Sea Pig

Chairman of Sri Lanka National Aquatic Resources Authority (NARA)Hiran Jayawardhana says that at least 20 whales have been died due to accidents in the sea south of the island.

He says that the whales have died along the east-west sea route that crosses the island waters, some of them chopped by ship wheels.

A few blue whales and a threatened specie called dugong are among the killed mammals, the official says.

What is this dugong? It is interesting to study. Dugong is called Muhudu Ura meaning Sea Pig in Sinhala of which the flesh was sold in fish stalls until recent times. 

The dugong (Dugong dugon) known locally as muhudhu ura in Sinhala and kadal pandi in Tamil is the only representative of the order of mammals known as Sirenia (so named because these animals are thought to have given rise to the myth of the mermaids or sirens of the sea) found in the coastal waters of Sri Lanka. It is the only extant plant-eating mammal that spends all its life at sea, and has the ability to convert marine higher plants into meat palatable to man. It is also referred to as a sea cow, as it is a grazer. But unlike cows, the dugong can cultivate its crops! The dugong’s body, flippers and flukes are like those of a dolphin, but it has no dorsal fin. Being a bottom feeder, its

mouth is sub-ventral in position, and the snout is covered with bristles and small stiff hairs, which are supposed to be the best developed sensory hairs of any mammal. The flippers, which lack nails, are used for stabilizing the animal while swimming. There are two mammary glands, pectoral in position. As in elephants, the molar teeth are replaced by continuous growth from behind as the front ones are worn away. The dugong’s common ancestry with the elephant is evident from its teeth, prehensile upper lip, long digestive tract, herbivorous diet and location of the mammary glands. The incisors in males are larger than those in females and are referred to as tusks. Adults reach between 2.5 to 3-m in length and weigh on average between 250-420 kg. Interested? Link to the source.

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Colombo College of Politics, democracy and Shiral Lakthilaka's crazy demo

Colombo has a political school which is called Colombo College of Politics.

The mastermind of this establishment is Shiral Lakthilaka, lawyer by profession and Westerm Provincial Councilor.

His office is there in Colombo College of Politics and it is quite like UNP Sajith Premadasa faction headquarters.

Shiral Lakthilaka is not only the de facto principal of Colombo College of Politics, he is also a promoter of social democracy.

Certain western donor organizations fund Shiral's ventures apparently to strengthen democracy in Sri Lanka.

Now the de facto principal of Colombo College of Politics is under arrest under suspicion for violence and carnage yesterday before Sri Lanka's major opposition United National Party (UNP) headquarters following the Working Committee election for party office bearers.

Ravi Jayawardhana, another civil society activist and one time Prisons Commissioner General, a lawyer by profession and UNP Horana organizer, an accomplice of Shiral has also been arrested.

They wanted Karu Jayasuriya as party leader but Karu entertained a humiliating defeat to incumbent leader Ranil Wickramasinghe.

A Buddhist monk has also been arrested on suspicion of causing damage at UNP headquarters.

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Sri Lanka government MP Arundika Fernando and Puttlam donkeys

Puttalam of Sri Lanka was one time famous for donkeys.

Following story is not about donkeys but about an MP that represents Puttalm district. He is a law maker of this country.

Sri Lanka government MP for Puttalam district Arundika Fernando stated to local newspaper The Divaina that he manhandled opposition MP Palitha Range Bandara because the latter criticized the President on wrong allegations.

MP Arundika Fernando publicly said that he slapped several times at the opposition MP's face since he had not heeded to the protest of the government MPs during MP Range Bandara's speech in the debate on the expenditure heading of the Ministry of Defense.

Journalists observed MP Arundika Fernando assaulted Range Bandara at the opposition lobby as he exited the House from there after winding up his speech.

Some other government and opposition MPs also involved in preventing a brawl.

MP Range Bandara says that he will complain about the assault today to the Speaker and the police.

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Sri Lanka's Kelaniya University teachers unite against Dean of Science Faculty

The teachers of the Kelaniya University of Sri Lanka have decided to walk away on December 21 in protest of the Dean of Science Faculty Prof. Nalin de Silva.

The Association of University teachers of Kelaniya University says that they will hold a meeting in the university premises and hold a protest march too.

The university teachers have been angered by the alleged public insults targeting academics by Prof. Silva. They say the authorities have not paid attention to their protests earlier and they hope to urge action through the protest.

Prof. Silva, an arch Sinhala Buddhist nationalist, rejects modern science although he is the Dean of Science Faculty of the university. He recently said he identified arsenic in rice grown in Sri Lanka through super natural means instead of scientific method which other university dons denied.

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Too dear Lotus Pond Mahinda Rajapaksa Theater

The charges of the Lotus Pond Mahinda Rajapaksa Theater is definitely too dear to Sri Lankan performing artistes like dramatists.

It may be OK for some light vein popular musical shows but not for classical musical presentations. Low quality laugh drama like Tennyson Cooray's too may go there.

How can a Sri Lankan dramatist afford Rs. 1,050,000 for two shows there in addition to the refundable deposit of Rs. 150,000?

Are there any fair sponsors for quality art in this country?

Definitely, performing here will be a dream for dramatists and viewing real art here will be a dream for viewers too. 

What finally can happen is that the artistes of this country will bend their spine further begging for sponsorship and relief for privilege of performing in Lotus Pond Mahinda Rajapaksa Theater. 

Luckily or unluckily we have so many boot-lickers to go.

Check for Lotus Pond Bookings

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Dialog buys Suntel in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s Dialog Broadband Network limited, a subsidiary of  PLC,has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with Suntel Limited.

Accordingly, Dialog will purchase Suntel for a sum of US$ 40 million.

Dialog says in a statement that when the transaction is completed, both networks will be merged to provide advanced fixed line and broadband infrastructure to best standards.

Suntel commandeers a premium position in Sri Lanka’s fixed telecommunications sector and is ranked second in the sector in terms of fixed telecommunications business and Revenue Market share.

Suntel commenced operations in 1996 and is currently a subsidiary of Swedish telecom operator Overseas Telecom AB. Other shareholders of Suntel include NDB (National Development Bank PLC), C-Tech Investments (Private) Ltd, Kelmarsh Investments Ltd, Townsend Limited and International Finance Corporation (IFC).

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It is easier said than done to win back what Singapore took away from Sri Lanka

Anand Dikshit of PWC India PricewaterhouseCoopers India told an investor forum in Colombo Sri Lanka's location and post-war growth opportunities make it well placed to emerge as a logistics hub for the region.

"Recently, we met the fourth largest conglomerate in India and they told us 'Give me a port in Sri Lanka and we'll buy it right now'," Dikshit said to the forum declining to identify the firm.

"Why? Because they know Singapore port only became successful because ports around Sri Lanka were not developed. It is such an important logistics place for the world."


The forum was organized by PWC, Sri Lanka Foundation and the government's Strategic Enterprise Management Agency.

Although Anand Dikshit might be paid to say so and the story of buying a harbor appears as gossip, what he says  is true. However, i.

Leadership  errors were behind  our loss then and the same thing persists even now.

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Vegetable Johnny of Sri Lanka rots vegi farmer and markets

Many economic centers and agricultural areas of Sri Lanka were in chaos today while police used tear gas to disperse angry farmers in Dambulla.

The economic town turned into a battlefield as farmers also pelt stones at police, eyewitness reports say.
Following the lorries that transported vegetable in gunny bags were arrested by police and fined, the Manning Market vendors did not make orders for today paralyzing the fruit and vegetable market. A protest was held by them too.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Cooperatives and Internal Trade Johnston Fernando vowed that the decision to make use of plastic crates compulsory would not be revoked despite protests since the decision was taken following careful study to prevent post harvest wastage.

Protests against the use of plastic crates for the transportation of vegetables and fruits were held in Bandarawela, Ranna, Kandapola, Puttalam and Norochchola areas too.

Sri Lanka government's strict laws to stop waste of vegetables and fruits has affected vegetable market and it is causing more wastage, market sources say.

A large number of lorries carrying vegetable and fruit in gunny bags were stopped yesterday at the Peliyagoda new bridge by Army and Police and the vehicles were fined heavily.

Manning vegetable market of Colombo was short of supplies today due to this reason both yesterday and today, market sources said.

Farmers say they need extra money to buy crates and need vehicles to transport the crates back home due to this law. They say they cannot add these extra costs to the price of vegetables.

Meanwhile the vendors say they can transport less amount of vegetables in crates and the transport costs go up.

What the consumers say is that they need vegetables at lower price and they would not mind how they were transported.

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Sri Lanka's narrated village and the real village

Sri Lanka's village today is the place where no facilities are available. Where there are some facilities are called towns.

Both villagers and townsmen are alike culturally. Are there citizens in Sri Lanka? The common man is not a citizen. 'He' basically is not a socially responsible man.

Take our leaders. They are generally recognized as a bunch of thieves and thugs. The masses that elect them and are led by them are no less.

A group of subaltern academics are engaged in a discourse making attempt regarding Sinhala village. They use popular TV programmes like Doramandalawa of Independant Television Network in this regard. The villagers of Sri Lanka too watch the wonderful narration of the village that is completely different from their real village life with amazement .

These days media is marketing a news about a triple suicide/murder of two adolescent girls and one Army deserter that took place in Epawala in the Anuradhapura district.

If you read the sentimental news reports and features in Sinhala newspapers with a peep into the village life that is described underneath, you may understand what I try to say.

Vimukthi Jayasundara's Cannes-honored film The Forsaken Land-Sulanga Enu Pinisa dealt with this theme, the real village of Sinhala people. Present cinematographer and MP, then Naval officer Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara said that the film maker Vimukthi Jayasundara should be given death penalty probably for treachery i.e. revealing this truth.

Read: සූරිප්පෙරුමගේ ගම හා එප්පාවල කඩිගාව ගම

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Sri Lankan officials following 'innovative' tactics to convert Hambanthota a harbour

Sri Lanka now has a new harbor though no ships go there even an year after its grand opening. Harbor mouth was blocked by a rock. A large sum of borrowed foreign currency was spent to break the rock. It could be removed at a lower cost before hurriedly filling in water.

After all, the port is ready now. However, 'innovative' thinking is needed to lure ships there.

Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) says now that it will permit car importers to unload their cargo only in the Hambantota Port from March 2012.

Sources say that this measure will be followed due to Colombo Port is highly congested, since it has less parking facilities after the ongoing expansion of roads and due to less port terminals.

There is no space for parking and the car carriers have to wait for nearly five to six days to clear their cargo before leaving the area, says Ports Authority Chairman.

However, if the dealers want their cars to be shipped to the Colombo Port they have to arrange for ‘direct delivery’ and have the preliminary inspection at their own yard and not at the port, according to the Chairman of the Ports Authority.

Sri Lanka's vehicle business is centered in Colombo, Kandy and Kurunegala. Therefore the imported vehicles will have to go a long way to reach the market. Perhaps the government wants to shift the market also to Hambanthota. It will affect Kurunegala. Who cares Kurunegala now? Now it is Hambanthota time.

The imported vehicles will also add into the traffic of the newly built Southern Expressway.

This is the 'development' the government is giving us. Who benefits from it? Definitely not the poor masses of whose name the massive loans are being obtained.

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Sri Lanka Tamil party wants President to mediate to release list of names of former LTTE cadres and supporters who are detained or in custody

Sri Lanka government once announced that 12,000 Tamil Tiger cadres surrendered to the state security forces during the final stages of the war in which the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) were militarily defeated. 


Two and half years after the war, the government is yet to release the lists of these surrendered cadres. 


Sri Lanka's major Tamil constituency Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Suresh Premachandran has urged the government to reveal the list of names of former LTTE cadres and supporters who are detained or in custody.

Premachandran says that there has not been any information received about the surrendered cadres by their families.

He has said the President needs to intervene and address this issue since the parents and relatives of former LTTE members want to know about their family members in custody. He says the government needs to tell, whether it is going to take legal action against these people or if they will be released.


The government should also take steps to document the fate of the disappeared persons, irrespective of their being LTTE fighters. After all they all are citizens of this country. 

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D.B.S. Jeyaraj's market promotion of Niromi de Soyza's Tamil Tigress

D.B.S. Jeyaraj appears paid to step by step revelation of the true identity of the author of “Tamil Tigress - My story as a child soldier in Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war” written by a self-proclaimed former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) under the pseudonym Niromi de Soyza.

The true identity of the woman who is gathering momentum to become a minor celebrity is well marketed by Jeyaraj in his article From Shenuka to Niromi: True tale of a ‘Tamil Tigress.’

He has written it giving out a puzzle like revelation on the identity of the writer.

Let me be a tad facetious here and play a word game supplying a few clues. She has three names in all. Her first name is of North Indian origin but widely used by Tamils.;the second is of Irish origin but widely used by the English, Scottish and Welsh people. The third or maiden name which is her father’s, is a Sanskritised Tamil name. I have coined a name that has the first letters of all three names – “Sharmila”.

A good marketing trick after all. The book's second edition is to be released soon and it is to go from Australia to international markets.

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Sri Lanka Marxists that backed war against Tamils launch a movement aimed at addressing the issues faced by the people in the North

Sri Lanka Marxist People's Liberation Front (JVP) says it will launch a movement aimed at addressing the issues faced by the people in the North. 


JVP backed government war against the Tamil rebellion before the Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated and they even opposed government stopping use of heavy armory against the displaced people in the no-war zone declared by state.

The movement is called the People’s Wall of Brotherhood and it is launched in Vavuniya today.

JVP Propaganda Secretary and parliamentarian Vijitha Herath says that MP Sunil Handunneththi and former MP Ramalingam Chandrasekar would be the co-conveners of the organization that will be formed to help find solutions to the immense hardships faced by the people in the North even after the end of the war.

During the war, JVP supported the government operations but now says the problems of the people of the Northern and Eastern Province have not been attended.

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Efforts underway to guarantee release of Sri Lanka's former Army Commander

Sri Lanka's major opposition United National Party (UNP) will begin signing of a petition seeking release of former Army Commander and defeated Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka.

The petition is to be handed over to the UN General Secretary.

The signing of the petition commences from the official residence of the Colombo Mayor today. Then it will be taken around the country to collect signatures.

UNP expects to collect one mission signatures to the petition.

The petition is organized by UNP MP Jayalath Jayawardhana.


Meanwhile, the Minister of Prison Reforms Chandrasiri Gajadheera said in parliament today that Fonseka is enjoying luxuries in prison. However he contradicted his own idea telling that all prisoners are treated alike in prison. 


Unconfirmed sources say that an effort is underway led by Fonseka-led National Democratic Alliance MP Tiran Alles to guarantee a conditional release for Fonseka. 


Meanwhile, international pressure is also indicated mounting on the government seeking his release. 

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Dr. Gangodawila Soma Thero's university dishonored

Sri Lanka's state owned The Dinamina newspaper report4ed that the International University of Fundamental Studies (IUFS) of St. Peters berg, Russia is not a recognized university.

According to the newspaper, the Russian Embassy of Colombo has stated that the the university is not recognized by the government of Russia.

 However, the website of the university says a different story. It says,

 The International University of Fundamental Studies (the IUFS) is a non-governmental and non-commercial university in St. Petersburg(Russia) and is one of the major civic universities, which works together with Russian State University to offer International Degree Qualifications. In 1998 the Ministry of Education - State Committee for Higher Education & Science in St. Petersburg(Russia) recognized the IUFS. In November, 12, 2007 the University was granted the Inter-governmental Accreditation by the International Parliament of Safety and Peace (Italy). Further, in 2007 Inter-governmental Higher Academic Council (IHAC) was opened. On the 11th Day of June IUFS was recognized by the California University FCE. 

This is the university from which the late popular Buddhist preacher Gangodawila Soma Thero obtained a doctorate. He was suffering from a number of illnesses and died in St. Peters berg as he was there for the 'convocation.' Sri Lanka's present ruling alliance which was in the formation, media and a group of Buddhist monks and laymen highlighted the natural death as a murder. The charge was never proved but used for political mileage. Soma Thero whose death anniversary falls in December was completely forgotten by these political opportunists once they achieved their target.

The other comic fact is that the former Inspector General of Police 'Dr. Mahinda Balasuriya' who resigned from the post admitting the police responsibility of a murder of a worker of the Katunayaka Free Trade Zone is also a 'graduate' of this bogus university. Sri Lanka has, I think, more 'Dr.s' qualified from this university. If you want to buy a doctorate click here.

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