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President to dissolve Parliament?
Monday, 26 September 2005 - 3:22 AM SL Time
President Chandrika Kumaratunga is likely to dissolve Parliament within the next two weeks, political sources said yesterday . It is believed she would call for a general election prior to the Presidential election on November 17.
The President as the leader of the SLFP is likely to form her own selection committee within the SLFP to decide on party nominations. It is likely that the SLFP would go for the general election alone.
The move is intended to undermine the electoral agreements signed by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa with the JVP and the JHU.
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Norway to facilitate presidential polls
Monday, 26 September 2005 - 3:16 AM SL Time
The LTTE is likely to ignore a government call to cease all operations in the run up to the presidential election on November 17.
`They are likely to be evasive in the event of the Norwegians raise this with them,` an observer said. President Chandrika Kumaratunga recently sought Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondvik`s help to neutralise the threat posed by the LTTE. At a meeting on the sidelines of UN General Assembly sessions in New York, President Kumaratunga is believed to have urged the Norwegian PM to pressure the LTTE.
President Kumaratunga recently declared that she was determined to hold a free and fair election. During her meeting with Bondevik the President is believed to have claimed that the LTTE was planning to disrupt the poll.
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UK seeks evidence against Balasingham for action
Monday, 26 September 2005 - 3:16 AM SL Time
The British High Commission in Colombo, which last week said the UK`s national position was clear and they support the listing of the LTTE by the European Union as a terrorist entity, does not think Anton Balasingham, LTTE theoretician and close confidante of LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakran, wanted in India for the assassination of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has committed any crime under the British laws.
The British High Commission spokesman asked The Island if the newspaper had evidence that a crime has been committed under British law and if so he would forward it to the Metropolitan Police Service. He also said the newspaper may supply the information directly if it preferred. He said the decision whether to prosecute an individual under anti- terrorism legislation lies with the police and the prosecuting authorities in the UK rather than the government.
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Politics
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Polls Chief giving guidelines to private media
Tuesday, 27 September 2005 - 2:55 AM SL Time
Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake said yesterday he would issue guidelines to the private media regarding a fair and balanced coverage of the presidential elections.
He told an UPFA delegation that if the private media violated this principle any individual or party could go to courts. Mr. Dissanayake said that in terms of the 17th Amendment he had no power to take action against private media which violated the principle of fair and balanced coverage. But he would call the heads of private media groups and give them guidelines.
The meeting was held after Premier Mahinda Rajapakse`s presidential election campaign chief Mangala Samaraweera wrote to the Elections Commissioner regarding coverage by the private media.
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Anandasangari says his life in danger
Tuesday, 27 September 2005 - 2:54 AM SL Time
TULF leader V. Anandasangari yesterday told the Colombo District Court he was afraid to come to courts due to death threats.
Coming to court under tight security in a case relating to a leadership dispute in the party, Mr. Anandasangari said there were threats to his life because he did not accept the LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamil people.
The judge assured him that adequate security would be provided. After further submissions were made yesterday by Mr. Anandasangari`s lawyer Kapila Liyanagamage the case was put off for November 28
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UNP manifesto promises 300,000 jobs as immediate relief
Tuesday, 27 September 2005 - 2:51 AM SL Time
UNP is to announce its manifesto today holding out immediate relief such as creating three million jobs, increasing the Samurdhi allowance four fold and reducing the fertilizer prices to Rs. 550 a bag.
The manifesto also promises to double the national income, eliminate the debt burden of future generations and to take a series of measures to eliminate poverty.
The manifesto spells out the plans and programmes aimed at achieving a 10 percent economic growth and as an immediate step it proposes to generate 300,000 jobs in the public sector and private sector.
The UNP manifesto also focuses on a strategy to ensure the ownership of a plot of land, a home, and a savings account for everyone,
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Editorial News
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Musings on a G-string
Tuesday, 27 September 2005 - 2:39 AM SL Time
Within a few days of our comment last Friday on the penchant of Sri Lankan politicians to `run naked on roads` comes the news (The Island of Sept. 26)) from New Zealand of the sprint of a politician clad in a G-string through a busy street. He had taken a bet to run naked in public if his rival won the local electorate. Nothing is so certain as the unexpected and unfortunately for him, his rival had won against all predictions. Although his promise was to run stark naked, he had got cold feet afterwards and resorted to a cover-up in the true nature of a politician. Wherever they live, politicians are given to `cover-ups`, aren`t they' We thought politicians preferred fig leaves to G-strings to cover their nudity.
Keith Locke is his name and he represents the Green Party. He had also had the rest of his body covered with painting with a Green Party theme. Political camouflage! Locke may not have fulfilled his pledge to the letter but he was man enough'that is why, a wag says, he had the need for a G-string'to carry it out, at least partially.
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Will he deliver?
Monday, 26 September 2005 - 3:21 AM SL Time
Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake has promised to go all out to rid the upcoming presidential election of malpractices, which usually mar Sri Lankan elections. It is, no doubt like cleaning the Augean stables. Unlike Hercules, with so many political cattle around in this country, in place of two rivers, Mr. Dissanayake might need a tsunami to achieve that feat. King Augeas` stables had not been cleaned, it is said, only for 30 years and the political stables here have not been swept for over 50 long years since Independence. And the mechanism that was proposed by way of accomplishing the task'the Elections Commission (EC)'has failed to get off the ground due to a political tug of war. Now, before setting up the EC, the need has arisen for the mother of all independent commissions, the Constitutional Council (CC), which has come to a halt for want of commissioners, to be appointed urgently.
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What next?
Sunday, 25 September 2005 - 2:08 AM SL Time
Both Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and contender Ranil Wickremesinghe are very well aware that sustaining an election campaign till November 17 will be no easy matter. Rajapakse has many handicaps flowing from his incumbency of the prime ministry and he, like UNP Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa before him, has not been slow to capitalize on these advantages. Premadasa, of course, fought for the presidency in a different situation with the IPKF fighting to quell the LTTE insurgency in the north while the JVP, then at the height of its second bloody adventure, was determined to wreck the presidential election itself. But all that is now old hat and the country must look towards the contest that is ahead. The voters make up their minds of who they think can lead Sri Lanka out of the morass into which we have been sinking deeper by the day.
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| Security |
Incidents begin even before nominations
Tuesday, 27 September 2005 - 2:53 AM SL Time
Even before nominations twelve complaints of pre election violence had been received by the Police Headquarters Election Violence Monitoring centre.
Deputy Inspector General Gamini Navaratne said the complaints related to incidents of intimidation and minor assault and posters.
He said both main parties had lodged complaints especially from Bandarawela and Kalutara areas.
DIG Navaratne said the police have been given special instructions to maintain law and order and to be impartial when dealing with election related violence. He said political parties should instruct their supporters to avoid clashing with their rivals.
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Patient dies after swallowing dentures
Tuesday, 27 September 2005 - 2:53 AM SL Time
The Additional City Coroner, issuing summons on the specialist medical officer of Horana Government Hospital recently, observed that medical negligence at both the Horana and the Colombo South Government Hospitals, caused severe pain to a patient who had accidentally swallowed her own dentures while eating. The patient had died later.
The mother, Gunawathee Liyanage Amarasena giving evidence at the inquest into the death of her daughter Chintha Amarasena (35) of Poruwedanda said on the day of the incident, her daughter was having a meal of chicken.
While eating, Chintha complained that she was in pain and requested the witness to pat the back of her shoulders. Chintha had put her fingers in her mouth and revealed to witness that her dentures were missing.
Later, she was taken to Horana Government Hospital where she underwent an operation. Three days after being discharged, witness said her daughter had complained of chest pains and was admitted to the Colombo South Hospital in Kalubowila where medicine was given to pass out the denture.
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Indian academic proposes India-Lanka security trade-off
Tuesday, 27 September 2005 - 2:38 AM SL Time
An Indian expert on South and South East Asia has suggested that India and Sri Lanka enter into a deal in which Sri Lanka gives India the Kachchativu island on `lease in perpetuity` and licenses to select Indian fishermen to fish off the north Sri Lankan coast, in return for a Defence Cooperation Agreement, which among other things, will help curb the LTTE`s deadly naval wing, Sea Tigers. In his latest book entitled: Conflict Over Fisheries In the Palk Bay Region (Lancer, New Delhi, 2005) Prof V Suryanarayan says that it is very important for India to find ways for fishermen from Tamil Nadu to fish in Palk Bay/Palk Strait (up to 5 nautical miles from the north Sri Lankan coast) and around Kachchativu, because this is a traditional right as well as an economic necessity.
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Business / Economy News
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SLTB in USD 1m tourism promotion campaign in India
Tuesday, 27 September 2005 - 2:56 AM SL Time
SRI LANKA Tourist Board (SLTB) will spend one million US dollars to launch a special marketing campaign in India early next year. The promotion would be for three months.
According to Chairman SLTB Udaya Nanayakkara this has been done to woo more tourists from India. The campaign specifically targets the Indian leisure and the corporate traveller.
Indian Tourist arrivals passed the 105,000 mark last year and the SLTB hopes to increase this to over 120,000 by the end of the year. `It is also important for us to promote inter and intra regional tourism in South Asia,` he said.
The marketing campaign includes media publicity, billboards at selected cities, road shows, and publicity slides and films in Indian cinema halls. The SLTB is now looking out for a marketing company to launch this promotion in India.
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Ranil to boost tourism sector
Monday, 26 September 2005 - 3:28 AM SL Time
UNP leader and Presidential candidate last week assured the country`s key leisure sector that he will boost the tourism industry and its long term prospects once he is elected.
This assurance was given when Mr. Wickremesinghe met with the leaders of the travel and tourism industry comprising hoteliers and inbound tour operators.
At the meeting which lasted for over an hour, Mr. Wickremesinghe had shared his vision for country, the economy and especially for the tourism industry. The need to make Sri Lanka a sea and air hub and a discerning tourist destination was emphasised.
Mr. Wickremesinghe had told tourism industry leaders that the 100 metre rule or buffer zone would be done away with. The tourism industry has expressed concern over the strict enforcement of 100 metre rule following the December 26th tsunami.
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SLAASMB exposes significant detections in listed firms
Monday, 26 September 2005 - 3:27 AM SL Time
The Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board (SLAASMB) acting under the Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Act No 15 of 1995 last week decided to release to the public regarding significant cases detected during the 2004.
The significant cases detected in year 2004 are as follows.
1. Senkadagala Finance Company Limited
The Board issued a direction to Senkadagala Finance Company Limited to send a notification to all parties who received the annual audited financial statements explaining a related party transaction that was not adequately disclosed in their financial staements.-
In response to an inquiry made by the Board, the Company informed that it disposed 300,000 shares of Senkadagala Hotels Limited at Rs. 15.50 per share during the year ended 31st March 2003 to a related party. The Company also informed the Board of its intention of selling a further 400,000 shares to the same related party during the year ended 31 st March 2004 at the same price. By selling the said shares the Company had made a book profit of Rs. 1.31million in the year ended 31st March 2003. However, part of the investment in above shares is valued at Rs. 50 per share, which is significantly higher than the price the shares were sold for. On further inquiries made by the Board, the Company informed that Rs. 15.50 is the forced sale value of disposing these shares in order to comply with regulatory requirements and Rs. 50 is the share valuation based on the market value of the assets of the investee company. Since the above information was not adequately disclosed in the financial statements for the year ended 31st March 2003, the Board issued a direction to the Company to send a notification to all parties who received the annual audited financial statements explaining the above related party transaction.
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| Sports News
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Wesley, Kingswood book semi final berth
Tuesday, 27 September 2005 - 2:51 AM SL Time
Wesley College with a smashing 31-5 win over Ananda, and defending champions Kingswood with a hard fought 26-13 victory over Thurstan respectively, set up a semi final showdown when they won their Milo President`s Trophy Schools two quarter final games at Sugathadasa Stadium on Sunday.
Wesley vs Ananda
Wesley were never threatened by Ananda, and after a 13-minute lull, the winners opened up to score four converted tries and a penalty to which the losers could only reply with a try.
The lads from Campbell Park owed their win to good work by the forward pack while the outside backs complimented them to drive home the advantage, in a largely one-sided tie.
Ananda promised much in the opening exchanges but failed to maintain the same intensity throughout and caved in ultimately.
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Sri Lanka A rattled into defeat by Kiwis
Monday, 26 September 2005 - 3:26 AM SL Time
New Zealand `A` having lost their first two games of the triangular limited over tournament to Sri Lanka `A` and South Africa `A`, came back into contention when they recorded an easy 72-run win over Sri Lanka `A` in the fourth match played at the De Soysa Stadium in Moratuwa yesterday to keep their chances of qualifying to the finals.
The match winner for the New Zealanders was opening bowler Chris Martin who wrecked the top order batting with figures of 6 for 24. With wickets falling like nine pins Sri Lankan skipper Avishka Gunawardena was the only batsman to make some impression from the top order batting and with his dismissal, unfortunately run out for 34, the Sri Lankans slumped to 42 for 5 chasing a modest target of 239.
Two more wickets within a space of another 17 runs put the local side on a bad wicket and the match was heading for an early finish. But some late resistance from Farveez Maharoof (21), Gayan Wijekoon (29), Kaushal Lokurarachchi (33) and Nuwan Zoysa (25) saved the Sri Lankans from an embarrassing position of being bowled out for low score. The foursome added 109 runs between them to give the Sri Lanka A team a score of 166.
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Lions turn on the forwards to win 33-7
Monday, 26 September 2005 - 3:20 AM SL Time
Number eight Imalka Maddumapatabendi, scored a brace of tries while the forward pack turned it on, as Trinity whipped Royal 33-7 in the second leg to regain the coveted Bradby Shield for the first time in four years in the 61st Bradby Shield series, played before a full house at Royal Sports Complex (Reid Avenue) on Saturday.
Trinity College ended the 2005 series with an overall points tally of 69 as a result of a 36-6 win over the opposition at Bogambara Stadium in the first leg, while Royal College ended with 13, to concede the coveted Shield to their arch rivals since 2000.
The winners who sprang to life late in the second half after a lacklustre first 30 minutes collected their points from four converted tries and a try to which the losers replied with a converted try.
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