Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Two more asylum boats have arrived at Christmas Island in the hours following federal parliament s failure to agree on a way of halting the flow of boatpeople to Australia. One boat carrying 44 asylum-seekers, believed to be from Sri Lanka, was intercepted...

Sri Lanka's annual inflation rate may have risen to a 13-month high in June as the weakening
rupee raised prices of imported goods and a local drought pushed
up food prices.
Annual inflation is expected to have accelerated in June to
7.6 percent, its highest since May 2011, a Reuters poll of 14
analysts showed. In May, prices rose 7.0 percent from a year
earlier.
'Prices of many commodities went up, including vegetables,
due to drought forcing supply-side constraints,' Sanjeewa
Fernando of CT Smith stockbrokers said..
Food accounts for more than 40 percent of the basket of
items used to compile inflation figures.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on June 15 that
annual inflation may rise to 9.5 percent this year and stressed
the need for Colombo to keep monetary policy focused on price
pressures 'for the time being'.
The rupee has depreciated around 18 percent since
November, pushing up costs for the $59 billion economy, which
imports most essential food commodities as well as fuel.
Consumer goods accounted for 20 percent of last year's total $20
billion import bill.
Earlier this month, the government raised prices of a series
of essential goods, including sugar, dhal, and potatoes.

The National Cadet Corps (NCC) recently commissioned 21 Tamil speaking Probationary Officers of the NCC as Second Lieutenants, with the aim of strengthening the cadet movement in the Northern area as a part of extending equal opportunities to Tamil school children of the North.

Cadetting was a very popular extra-curricular activity in leading schools of Jaffna in the past. But since the 1980 s cadetting just faded due to the escalation of violence and forcible recruitment of school children as child soldiers by LTTE terrorists.

We, the members of the Christian Solidarity Movement, are distressed by the media reports that Dr. Nirmal R. Devasiri of FUTA has been intimidated by a group of unknown men who have arrived by a jeep at his neighbourhood to inquire his whereabouts, claiming to be from the defense ministry.

Having witnessed the recent events of abduction, disappearances and shooting, this is a clear indication to us that Dr. Nirmal Ranjith s life is in imminent danger.

We have seen enough of blood being shed on our soil and the sufferings of families due to loss of their dear ones. If we continue this kind of behavior, world outside will begin to believe that Sri Lanka has not evolved from a culture of barbarism and that great religions of Asia have had no influence over us.

The intimidatory beahviour on the part of those unknown men, we believe, indicates an intolerance of Dr Ranjith s freedom to express his opinion, his involvement in the campaign against the privatization of university education and his trade union activities.

Galle District MP Nishantha Muthuhettigama, at a media briefing at his office in Galle recently, said that though Sanath Jayasuriya had withdrawn his request for a deputy minister s post he (Muthuhettigama) would not do so

He said he had been in politics for twenty years and had begun his career as the youngest Pradeshiya Sabha Member ever, on being elected to the Nagoda Pradeshiya Sabha.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/19839-co-accused-in-pune-blast-trained-in-colombo.html

Sri Lankan media asked to support country's development drive
Thu, Jun 28, 2012, 10:09 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Jun 28, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government has called on the media to support the country's development drive.

Media Ministry Secretary W.B. Ganegala has said the media as a collective needed to support the country's national agenda by supporting the development drive.

He has explained that the local media has a responsibility to counter false allegations leveled against the country by certain sections of the foreign media.

According to Ganegala, there are currently 35 radio channels, 15 television channels and 160 newspapers and publications registered in Sri Lanka.

The Ministry Secretary has noted that the media has a major role to play in the country's way forward after ending the war.

Sri Lankan media asked to support country's development drive

Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga yesterday dismissed newspaper reports that he or External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris had submitted any document on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) implementation to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during their official visit to Washington in May this year.

Can you all remember this poor mercenary Lalith said that Percy had a very successful trip to London!!