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More Headline News
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Kandy City Centre opens in August
Wednesday, 6 April 2005 - 3:31 AM SL Time
Sri Lanka`s biggest ever commercial and shopping complex, the Kandy City Centre, at Dalada Vidiya Kandy would be opened in August. The total cost for the project is Rs. 4.7 Billion.
The ten-storied complex designed by K.M.C. Architects of Singapore has two floors underground and is the first building in Sri Lanka constructed in this manner. This is the only BOI approved project in Sri Lanka, which has been granted the `Flagship Status.`
The Kandy City Centre will provide direct employment for 3800 and over 10,000 would have indirect employment opportunities. According to an official of the complex in Kandy, the management would be giving preference to people in the Kandy district between the ages of 20 to 26.
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Some Year 1 admissions to Ananda, Kingswood done with fraudulent documents - PIU
Wednesday, 6 April 2005 - 3:31 AM SL Time
The Presidential Investigations Unit (PIU) has revealed that some of the admissions of children for Year 1 of Ananda College, Colombo and Kingswood College, Kandy have been carried out with fraudulently prepared documents and by violating the Education Department Circular No. 2004/18.
The parents of the children who were deprived admission due to these malpractices have complained to the President informing her that the investigations that followed revealed the allegations were true. The investigation team headed by PIU Director General A. A. Wickremasinghe has investigated each allegation separately and has recorded the statements of Principals, Deputy Principals and teachers of these schools.
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SLMM worried as East hit by violence
Wednesday, 6 April 2005 - 3:31 AM SL Time
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission yesterday repeated its concern over continuing lawlessness in LTTE and government controlled areas in the East.
Spokeswoman Helen Olafsdottir said the killings of Vocational Training Ministry director Thiyagarajah Kailanandan in Batticaloa on Monday was a serious matter and the monitors were probing it.
With some 30 killings being reported from the East during the past two months, the SLMM called on both parties to maintain their commitment to the ceasefire.
She said all the killings and other incidents were being probed and some might be connected with personal disputes.
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Politics
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Consider our views or be in the dark warn ' CEB engineers
Thursday, 7 April 2005 - 2:26 AM SL Time
The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU), yesterday warned of a `total blackout`, if the government does not consider its views on the proposed restructuring of the CEB.
President of the CEBEU, Ananda Piyatillake told a media briefing at the Ceylon Continental Hotel, that an emergency meeting will be held tomorrow to decide on the course of action which in all probability would be a `total blackout`.
He stressed that even if trade union action was resorted to, they would want to minimise the damage to the economy.
`Machines cannot be just switched off.We have to plan it, otherwise considerable losses would be incurred, resulting in the machines becoming non functional.The government does not seem to understand the impact of such trade union action on the economy.Even our last strike does not seem to have registered.`
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STF security for judges facing threat
Wednesday, 6 April 2005 - 3:45 AM SL Time
The Special Task Force (STF) will be continued to be deployed for the judges who are under threat, the Director of the Judicial Security Division told the Daily Mirror.
While continuing to provide STF security for a few identified judges, STF security for ten judges were removed and replaced with the personnel from Judges Security Division (JSD), which was formed recently with specially trained police personnel, SSP Caesar Ranaweera said.
The STF personnel were deployed for the security of Colombo High Court judges and the Colombo Chief Magistrates following the assassination of Colombo High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya on November 22, last year.
Some judges, specially those who were handling high valued narcotic cases and underworld related matters were identified as highly threatened judges and they would be provided with the STF security.
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Polls chief calls for report on ground situation
Wednesday, 6 April 2005 - 3:40 AM SL Time
Commissioner of Elections Dayananda Dissanayake has requested divisional secretaries (returning officers) of the north and east to report back to him on the practicality of holding local government elections as scheduled in the North and east on April 23rd 2005.
Commissioner Dissanayake made the request after he had convened a meeting of the respective returning officers from the north and east last Saturday at the Elections Secretariat at Welikade Rajagiriya to discuss the ground realities in the two provinces.
Deputy Commissioner of Local Government and Provincial Council Elections W. P. Sumanasiri yesterday confirmed that the local government elections to 53 local bodies in the north and east were scheduled to be held on April 23rd 2005.
The elections that were initially to be held in 2002 were postponed several times as a result of the ground situation not being conducive to hold elections and pressure from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarians.
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Editorial News
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Ghosts did it again'
Thursday, 7 April 2005 - 2:28 AM SL Time
The LTTE on Tuesday blasted yet another hole in the bullet riddled Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). It attacked a navy boat off Upparu on the eastern coast. The vessel was damaged and a truce monitor on board sustained injuries in the melee. This is one of the major CFA violations by the LTTE numbering well over 2,700.
It looks as if the CFA had become a straitjacket only for the government and the LTTE were free to kick it around and claw it to pieces at will. This is a parlous situation where the patience of the armed forces is being tested. A few months ago the LTTE shot dead a soldier in the north and injured another. Hadn't the navy acted with utmost restraint amidst the terrorist fire, the CFA would not have survived the incident.
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Some Hard Facts
Wednesday, 6 April 2005 - 3:41 AM SL Time
As an institution the LTTE's existence hinges on celebration of personal sacrifice to the Leader's will and military glory, as means to the imposition of absolute control. The deaths of thousands of young and children has been honoured as martyrdom, and peddled as a stimulant to excite the nationalist ego. Prabhakaran rules largely through fear - fear of external enemies, real or invented, and more importantly at this point fear of LTTE retribution for disloyalty. This fear is projected by constant demonstrations of violence, violent rhetoric and exhibitions of his power over those below him - most dramatically, his ability to compel suicides. The LTTE's strategy is to maintain the Tamil population in a state of unrest that prevents dissent. During the peace process itself two Sea Tigers were ordered to commit suicide when the SLMM searched their vessel, and another distraught girl was manipulated into the suicide assassination attempt on the EPDP leader.
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The writing on the wall
Tuesday, 5 April 2005 - 2:49 AM SL Time
Minister of Industries, Enterprise Development and Tourism Anura Bandaranaike has once again predicted that his sister President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga would continue to rule for a further period of six years.
It now appears that this is no ranting of a disgruntled politician, for he says this is a certainty like his previous predictions about the takeover of three portfolios by President Kumaratunga from the last UNP regime, the dissolution of that regime prematurely in early 2004 and going to jail of S.B. Dissanayake for contempt of court.
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| Security |
Photographer was counterfeiter
Thursday, 7 April 2005 - 2:24 AM SL Time
A well known young photographer and photo lab technician, who under cover of running a photography lab, were running a counterfeit currency note printing centre at Brandiyawatte, Wellampitiya was arrested by the Wattala police with four of his accomplices yesterday (6).
The police seized 78 counterfeit one hundred rupee notes, an advanced computer with printer and material used in the centre.
OIC Wattala police Dharmasiri Fernando and SI Ranasinghe, who conducted the raid said they were able to trace the photographer who printed the counterfeits on information received by them that some Muslim Youths in the Mabole area in the Wattala police division were using counterfeit notes.
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Police guarding tsunami relief hit
Thursday, 7 April 2005 - 2:24 AM SL Time
A group of armed persons, in the early hours of yesterday, attacked a police party at predominately Muslim Kalmunaikudi killing a policeman and wounding a security assistant.
A police commando spokesman said that the attackers had removed two T-56 assault rifles. According to him, the police had been guarding a tsunami relief supplies store.
According to him, the incident had taken place at 4.10 a.m. The armed gang appeared to have surprised the police, the spokesman said. Another police official acknowledged that there was no evidence to indicate an LTTE involvement. (NP)
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Frightened victim of alleged police assault refuses to give evidence
Wednesday, 6 April 2005 - 3:44 AM SL Time
The Criminal Investigation Department charged Inspector, OIC of the Panadura Police Traffic Branch (former OIC Panadura, Kehelwatta police post) for brutally assaulting a person from Diggala Road, Panadura at the police post premises on May 2, 2001.
When the case was taken up before the Panadura Magistrate, Jagath A. Kahadagamage on Friday the injured victim R. Don Navaratne Bandara informed court that he wished to withdraw the complaint as he was unable to give evidence as the policemen involved in the case had threatened him not to give evidence.
At this stage A. Amarasinghe, Attorney-at-Law submitted to court that the complainant was frightened to give evidence because of police threats. He had complained to the Inspector General of Police, Police Commission and the Human Rights Commission but they had not taken any action against these policemen.
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Business / Economy News
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With oil prices soaring, countries seek ways to cut consumption
Wednesday, 6 April 2005 - 3:48 AM SL Time
PARIS, April 5 (AFP) - The constant surge in oil prices has prompted some consumer nations, particularly in Asia, to take steps to reduce oil consumption and ease the burden on public finances.
The price of crude oil hit fresh highs Monday, topping 57 dollars a barrel for Brent in London and climbing to 58.28 dollars in New York, as investors worried about the red-hot demand and the risk of a gasoline shortage in the `summer driving season` in the northern hemisphere.
Oil prices already have soared 38 percent in New York and 47 percent in London since January.
Some countries have begun to react by reducing government subsidies, such as those for fuel. That is particularly the case in Asia, expected to account for 40 percent of this year`s increase in oil demand thanks to China`s booming economy.
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CEB trade unions push for abolition of Electricity Reform Bill
Wednesday, 6 April 2005 - 3:42 AM SL Time
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has been a profit centre for decades until the year 1999, in which year it recorded a surplus of Rs.4 billion and could still yield profit if it is managed properly provided the right decisions are made by the political leadership, Convenor of the Joint Front of CEB Trade Unions, Ananda Nimalaratne said yesterday.
He said that the joint trade unions vehemently opposed the privatization of the CEB and are discussing with authorities about the 2002 Act No28, Electricity Reform Bill which has been approved by Parliament. ``We oppose the Gazetting of this bill and are now negotiating with the government with regard to its abolition`, Nimalaratne said explaining that if the bill is Gazetted then it would pave the way for the privatization of the CEB. Privatization is the easy way out and is not the answer for the country's power woes, he stressed.
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Provincial Councils put BTT on hold
Wednesday, 6 April 2005 - 3:39 AM SL Time
The Provincial Councils of the Western, Northwestern, Southern, Uva and Central put on hold the implementation of the intended increase in BTT from 1% to 5% from April 1, 2005 but on a directive from the Presidential Secretariat the Provincial Councils of Northcentral and Sabaragamuwa, had gazetted the tax increase and got it approved by their councils, chief revenue commissioner of the Sabaragamuwa Province M. A. Chandrapala said yesterday (5).,
He said that Chief Minister Mahipala Herath had directed him through the Chief Secretary to gazette the notification announcing the postponement to the council.
Chandrapala said what the Chief Ministers had wanted was to increase revenue for the Provincial Council by increasing the BTT on non essentials such as liquor, cigarettes, gems, jewellery timber and all luxury imported items.
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| Sports News
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Marvan and Mahela centuries put Sri Lanka in 'safe house'
Thursday, 7 April 2005 - 2:27 AM SL Time
NAPIER, New Zealand, April 6 - Marvan Atapattu and Mahela Jayawardene pounded the New Zealand bowlers to all corners of the ground with centuries apiece as Sri Lanka reached a safe 351 for three by stumps on day three, but the first Test bore all the hallmarks of a draw.
In reply to New Zealand's first innings of 561, the Sri Lankans need just 11 more runs to avoid the follow on, a foregone conclusion on a pitch that has become a bowler's graveyard.
Jayawardene was 118 not out at the close, his 13th Test century, while Thilan Samaraweera was on 34.
Atapattu, out for 127, posted his 16th Test century and his first against New Zealand to become only the fourth player in cricket history to complete a set of centuries against all nine Test-playing nations.
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Four-wheel drivers at Lake Cross 2005
Wednesday, 6 April 2005 - 3:48 AM SL Time
A driver`s nerves will be tested to the brim rather than his skill of speed at the four-wheel drive (4x4) Lake Cross 2005 event to take place during the April holiday season.
This event will be one of the exciting motor sport events to take place at the scenic Nuwara Eliya Lake area with the eye catching panoramic view to offer the spectators something to cherish all their life.
A specially designed track consisting of obstacles such as steep climbs, descents, mud holes, water crossings, sand traps, rock climbs and uneven surfaces will make the 4x4 look like tripods. This course of obstacles with real life 4x4 recovery situations will be created in a land area of approximately 30 acres.
The course is designed in such a manner that there are obstacles that are advantageous and disadvantageous equally to both larger and smaller 4x4 regardless of engine capacity or fuel type that is used.
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Sanath in blast mode after Kiwi's 561
Wednesday, 6 April 2005 - 3:42 AM SL Time
Already two hundreds and a 99 has been scored in the first Test match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand here in Napier and it looks as if there's more to follow after Sri Lankan openers Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya looked to be in ominous form, when Sri Lanka made 48 without loss at the end of day two in reply to New Zealand's mammoth 561.
After two tiring days on the field, Sri Lanka had a big challenge not to lose any early wickets and the opening combination seemed to be in cracking form, taking the attack to the Kiwi bowlers. In 12 overs they scored 48 runs and as usual, Jayasuriya batted aggressively with his 31 coming in just 34 deliveries, including six exquisite hits to the rope. Atapattu was at the other end on 14 with three fours when play was stopped with six overs to go due to bad light.
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