Sri Lanka Foreign Minister in Maldives (Waheed's)

Sri Lanka Minister of External affairs G.L. Peiris left for Maldives today for a three day official tour.

He is to meet new Maldives President Mohammed Waheed and the Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdul Samad Abdulla.

This is the first time a Sri Lankan Minister tours in Singapore following the change of rule there.

Former President of Maldives Mahammed Nasheed was a friend of Sri Lanka's ruling Rajapaksas but they disassociated him following the regime change there.

New rulers of Maldives cleverly managed the relationships with Sri Lanka and also voted against the resolution on Sri Lanka at UNHRC.

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Running airlines, doing politics and observing religion of Sri Lanka government

Sri Lanka's national career SriLankan said it had decided to cancel flights to Zurich, Rome and Milan from May to June.

A spokesman of Sri Lankan said that the suspension was since less demand expected during this period.

Flights to these destinations are to resume during the last week of June. However, they are to suspended again by September to resume again in the peak time.

The Airline announced that the move was taken in a bid to cut costs amidst the rise in fuel and operational costs.

Sri Lankan Airline is due Rs. 12350 million and Mihin Air is due Rs. 1210 million to Ceylon Petroleum Corporation for the purchase of fuel as per the Minister of Petroleum Resources reported to the parliament on April 04.

As per The Sunday Leader reported on March 25, 2012, SriLankan Airlines is expected to lose for the year (up to March 2012) a staggering Rs. 18.7 billion.

Then the company was hoping to avoid further financial despair having received a government guarantee to obtain a Rs. 21.9 billion loan from the Mashreq Bank in the United Arab of Emirates.

Alongside this loan the government had also approved last month a five year Treasury bond to the value of Rs. 14.2 billion.

Dr. P. B. Jayasundera, Secretary, Ministry of Finance, told The Sunday Leader that the five year Treasury bond was not a loan. ‘The President proposed a Rs. 65 billion infusion plan in the budget,’ he said.

It means that the public will pay this.

State owned Sri Lankan airline management may have done rescheduling of flights to minimize losses that are balanced by people of this country.

Transiting is definitely an inconvenience. Therefore, the passengers are sure to love direct flights. On the other hand it is cheaper for them. But the airline will not stop any flight today if it is profitable since airlines are there to run airplanes.

What happens now?

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed the CEO of Sri Lankan airline Kapila Chandrasena to continue the direct flights to Italy without temporary suspensions.

Why?

The President made this direction as Colombo Cardinal Rev. Malcom Ranjith Peiris informed the President at the Temple Trees on April 05 about the Sri Lankan's suspension of flights to several European destinations.

Perhaps, the President took his phone and dialed his company and asked his manager to stop suspension of his flights to his destinations. His car, his petrol! We pay your bill!

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Man - crocodile conflict of Sri Lanka

A man eater crocodile under arrest later to be found killed

Sri Lanka that is experiencing a deep rooted man - elephant conflict has entered into a new era the crocodiles also attack poor people.

A 18 year school girl that went to Rive Nilwala to have a wash, perhaps since they have no water facility at home, was attacked and dragged by a crocodile yesterday and her half-eaten body was later found stuck in river bank.

Angry people blame the wildlife officials who are now in a trade union action since three of their officials are remanded under charges of shooting and killing a wildman Veddah who they say has trespassed the jungle in Ampara district.

Reports say that around 25 persons were attacked by crocodiles last year. People killed a crocodile that they claimed a man eater at Ragama.

Sri Lanka Wildlife Department announced in June 2011 that it has decided to establish a crocodile park in Muthurajawela marshes situated south of Negombo. The Director General of Wildlife Department Dr. Chandrawansa Pathiraja said the park that would also be a habitat for destitute crocodiles, would benefit the persons researching the reptiles.

But before long time passed, reports said that a local politician had grabbed a land allocated to Sri Lanka's Wildlife Conservation Department for establishing a crocodile park in Muthurajawela.

No more reports on crocodile park thereafter although it is not a problem to the national problem of crocodiles.

Now, people complain they cannot kill crocodiles to save their lives due to wildlife laws.

When there is no rule of law, marginalized people complain of being unable the law themselves.

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'International' schools of Sri Lanka to be registered under Ministry of Education

Parliamentary Advisory Committee chaired by Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardane has planned to has proposed to include measures to register 'international' schools  of Sri Lanka under the Ministry of Education.

Accordingly, these schools that are often accused of employing under qualified, under paid, untrained  teachers  will have to streamline teaching service in them.

The committee has also proposed to make mother tongue of the pupils the medium of the primary students.

Most of these 'international' schools are registered under Company Act and foreign syllabuses are taught there. 

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New faces in Sri Lanka’s Securities and Exchange Commission

Dr. D.B.P.H Dissabandara has been appointed as the acting Director General of Sri Lanka’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The position was vacant since the resignation of former DG Malik Cader who was posted to the Ministry of Finance.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Ayanthi Abeyawickrama has also been promoted as the Director, Legal and Enforcement of the SEC.

SEC also appointed S. R. Attygalle, who is the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury and Dr. Prathiba Mahanamahewa, Dean Faculty of Law of the, Kotelawela Defence Academy as members of the commission.

All appointments effect from April 02.

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Why IMF rescued Rajapaksa regime of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka government was finally rescued for the moment by non other than the bitchy western imperialist International Monetary Fund (IMF).

US$ 426.8 million is big money and foreign currency the country needs badly.

Unless IMF decided to release the seventh tranche of the Stand-by Arrangement, the country would be in a more severe balance of payment crisis that could soon show the end of the road to the Rajapaksa family regime.

Sri Lanka floated rupee, increased fuel price and electricity tariff to qualify for the IMF loan and perhaps the government will re-start pegging the rupee in its short-sighted economic policy that looks OK until the crisis hits it harder at the next point of the spiral.

The opposition says the vehicle tax increase was also to appease the IMF but I do not think that such an institute is mad enough to suggest such prohibitive and lunatic taxes.

Perhaps the government did so in its rage to survive as it was not sure of the IMF loan because it thought Western super powers that they blame from morning to night would block it.

Then, the western imperialists have again given a lifeline to the Rajapaksa regime. Why? Perhaps they also might like a 'powerful' enemy.

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10 war wrecked vessels removed from Sri Lanka's northern harbor

Indian based Resolve Marine Group says that the company has handled removal of 10 vessels sunk in an around Kankesanthurai harbor in the Northern Province Jaffna peninsula of Sri Lanka.

The wreckage obstructed safe navigation in the area and effectively prevented commercial activity in the port.

These ships were sunk in the period of war between Sri Lanka government and the Tamil rebels before 2009.

India assists Sri Lanka to rehabilitate the Kankesanthurai harbor. The wreck removal work in Kankesanthurai is being done as a fully grant-funded project for which a sum of SLR 2.18 billion ($19 million) is being made available by India.

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Sri Lanka Fisheries Corporation to open two more fish canning factories

The secretary of Sri Lanka Ministry of Fisheries Mahil Senarathna says that two more fish canning factories will be set up soon.

A fish canning facility was opened yesterday by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Galle as a joint venture of Sri Lanka Fisheries Corporation and a private company.

Similarly, two more such factories are to be set up in Mundalama in Puttalam district and Peliyagoda in Gampaha district, the official says.

The investment for these two factories have been estimated as Rs. 500 million.

The Peliyagoda factory is expected to be opened before the end of this year. Tinned fish produced by these companies are sold under Ceyfish brand.
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Will Sri Lanka Minister Wimal Weerawansa stop reading Russian novels now?

Russia voted against the resolution on Sri Lanka at UNHRC.

But Russia also wants Sri Lanka act to find a solution to the ethnic issue. As principle, Russia's stance does not differ from the stand of the countries that Sri Lanka government has identified as enemy countries since they voted for the resolution.

Russia's ambassador in Colombo, Valadimir P Mikhaylov, told The Island in an interview, that implementing the recommendations "will bring you to the best position." 

"A political solution needs to be found to the ethnic issue," the ambassador said. Asked if by ‘political solution’ he meant devolution of power, Mikhaylov said: "No. That is an internal matter which you’ll have to decide on. But, whatever the model it has to be acceptable to all communities. The wounds are still very fresh. It takes time to heal. Too much pressure is not good. Rushed formulas will not be durable. It should grow from among the people."

"Devolution would differ from country to country. Some want centralised regimes while others opt for various combinations," he said. "The UK is said to have a parliamentary model, but how can you speak of democracy when there is a monarchy. They arrived at their formula of governance gradually and over the years it has become acceptable to them. So it is for each country to decide what is good for it."

Now, that is it. The diplomat utters 'vicious' words like 'ethnic issue', 'political solution', 'power devolution' etc. Will our vociferous Ministers like Wimal Weerawansa now stop reading Russian novels, if he is reading any?

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India dismisses report on terrorists trained in Tamil Nadu

Indian High Commission of Sri Lanka denied media report that terrorists were trained in Tamil Nadu as “erroneous and baseless.”

The Divaina Sinhala nationalist newspaper report said that police found through interrogation of three suspects of a murder of an activist of Ealam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) that 150 terrorist trained in three locations in Tamil Nadu had returned to Sri Lanka to make trouble in the country.

India said in its statement that the report was entirely erroneous and baseless. “Relevant agencies of the two countries have ongoing cooperation and no such information has been brought to the notice of the Government of India,” said the statement further.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Defense sources say that an operation is underway in the Eastern Province to arrest the armed gangs believed active in the area. The operation is conducted by police and security forces jointly, sources say.

The searches commenced today from Anuradhapura junction of Batticloa city. Security authorities have focused special attention on the persons that returned to the area from India after staying there for sometime as refugees.

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Sri Lanka exports surgical gloves and imports surgical gloves

Sri Lanka Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena has directed Ministry officials to stop import of surgical gloves and purchase them from the local producers, Ministry of Health sources say.

Two Sri Lankan companies produce surgical gloves for exportation. They use local raw materials, rubber, for the production of surgical gloves. They supply for high standard orders. We exported surgical gloves and imported surgical gloves.

Now, the Ministry of Health says that purchasing surgical gloves from these producers will save a massive amount of foreign exchange. What a finding!

Sri Lanka Department of Health spends around a billion rupees annually to import surgical gloves for the use in government hospitals. This decision is to be enacted since this year.

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Is Sri Lanka at war with India?

Anti Indian ideas appear to spread in Sri Lanka following the neighboring super power voted for the Us-backed resolution on Sri Lanka at UNHRC.

There are speculations that the prohibitive taxes imposed on motor vehicles target India's motor exports to Sri Lanka in addition to the local economic needs of the island nation.

The latest story is on India retraining repatriating terrorists to Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka police intelligence wings have revealed that around 150 terrorists have returned to the island following receiving training in Tamilnadu, India, reports Sinhala nationalist daily The Divaina newspaper.

Police was led to this finding through an investigation of a death of a member of Ealam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), a partner of the ruling alliance of which the leader is the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province,

After brutally hacking the EPDP member to death, the terrorists displayed a note in which they said they had given death penalty to a traitor.

Police arrested the culprits, three persons that claimed they were trained in camps in Tamilnadu following the end of war in Sri Lanka.

The suspects have ben handed over to Terrorist Investigation Department and the probes are underway.

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Sri Lankans are to be fed with more canned fish. Why not fresh fish?

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa will declare open the first semi government fish canning factory at Galle in the Southern Province tomorrow.

The factory is a joint venture of Sri Lanka Fisheries Corporation and Happy Cook Lanka Foods Private Limited.

The project saw an investment of Rs. 840 million.

The factory has the capacity of producing 10,000 fish cans a day. They will be sold under Sri Lanka Fisheries Corporation brand name.

Minister of Fisheries Rajitha Senarathna points out that Sri Lankans consume around 50,000 fish cans per day.

According to the Minister, the majority of the consumers of canned fish is the low income group people.

Is it essential for them to consume canned fish which less in nutritional value compared to fresh fish? Why don't they have access to fresh fish?

Why does the government need to start fish canning business? If it does not want profit and if it only wants people's nutrition increased, it can strengthen the fish retail network that the Fisheries Corporation already has.

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Hospital Health Information Management System for Sri Lanka's health sector

Information and Computing Technology Agency (ICTA) of the Sri Lanka Regional Director of Health Services- Kegalle together with Lunar Technologies have introduced a free and open-source software system used to store and retrieve a simple patient medical record.

The software is named as Hospital Health Information Management System (HHIMS).

Designed mainly for Sri Lanka government hospitals, it has been currently installed in the out-patient and admission sections of over 30 hospitals in Sri Lanka.

When installed on a computer server in a hospital, it can be accessed via a local area network in the out-patient department, the clinics, the wards and other places such as operating theaters, laboratories and medical record departments.

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Will this be the end of the road for Sri Lanka Minister Mervin Silva

Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) sources say that the President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed the party officials to take disciplinary action against the trouble monger Minister of Public Relations Mervin Silva.

The sources said that the President openly directed the SLFP general secretary Maithripala Sirisena to take action against the Minister at the SLFP central committee meeting held on Thursday.

Accordingly, a disciplinary probe is being planned against the Minister by the SLFP, sources say. Earlier also there were talks about such disciplinary action against this Minister but nothing happened to him.

He is considered one of the main personalities of the government that always keeps media focused on him.

The President had especially pointed to a remark made by the Minister in which he said that he would remain unscathed as long as the President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family is in power.

The President had pointed out the statement was an arrogant one, party sources say.

Then one may think the Minister will see the end of the road.

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