By Rathindra Kuruwita The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) central committee, on Wednesday (27), decided to take legal action against any unlawful attempts by the government to harass doctors who are leaving the country, Secretary of the GMOA, Dr. Haritha Aluthge said. Dr. Aluthge told The Island that the GMOA had been asking the government, […]

Thursday 28th September, 2023 Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera is reported to have said at a conference held by the Finance Ministry, on Tuesday (26), that there are more than 4,000 vacancies in the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). According to media reports quoting him, the vacancies at the […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Opposition MP Harshana Rajakaruna yesterday (25) said those who had defeated the no-confidence motion (NCM) against Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella should peruse the latest State audit report on the Health Ministry. The Gampaha District SJB MP said the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) at a recent meeting chaired by State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna had strongly [...

By Udari Abeyasinghe One of the principles of free education is to provide opportunities in higher education. In 2020, then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued directives to the University Grants Commission (UGC) to increase university admissions by an additional 12,000 students, in line with his election manifesto. Subsequently, student enrollments were increased with inadequate resources allocat...

Recent address by Dr. Sarath Gamini De Silva to the Galle Medical Association It is indeed my privilege and pleasure to be given this opportunity to address the members of the Galle Medical Association (GMA). I am grateful to the President and the Council of the GMA for inviting me as the guest of honour […]

By Sanath Nanayakkare The Global CEO Forum Sri Lanka held at the Galadari Hotel on Thursday showed a clear shift of discussion topics by Sri Lankan business leaders compared to what they were talking about just a year ago. Completely deviating from airing worries about how to run their businesses amid economic turmoil, business leaders […]

Oversight Committee on Open and Accountable Government By Rathindra Kuruwita An artificial shortage of medicinal drugs had been created in government hospitals to enable emergency drug purchases, Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) President Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne said recently, testifying before the parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee on an Open and Accountable Government. Dr. Ariyaratne al...

By Saman Indrajith Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) leader and Minister of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development, Jeevan Thondaman, plans to bring the grievances of his community before Global Union Federation Public Services International in Geneva and other international fora, such as the World Economic Forum and International Labor Organization, next month, he said. “I […]

Attempting to boost tourist arrivals without enhancing domestic production will only create further problems in the country, Dr. Rohantha Athukorala, the former Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism and Sri Lanka Export Development Board, has said. Taking part in a television interview, Athukorale said that Sri Lanka hoped to attract five million tourists by 2030 and […]

Charith Asalanka, midway through a follow-through of a big shot, is gritting his teeth while his bat is twisted around to face the bowler, above his head. If a seasoned cricket-watcher saw a still of this moment, they might guess that something has gone very wrong for Asalanka. It hasn’t. Asalanka is just fine. He […]

The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Energy and Transport has held a discussion focusing on the recruitment of students of the Ceylon-German Technical Training Institute to address the shortage of technicians in the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), during a special meeting which took place recently.

By Shamindra Ferdinando The rebel SLPP group yesterday (04) urged the ruling SLPP not to protect Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella at the vote on no-faith motion against the Kandy District lawmaker. Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera said the vote would be held on Friday (08) following a three-day debate, commencing on Wednesday (06). SLPP National […]

Monday 4th September, 2023 Sri Lankans with a predilection for gratuitous violence or wanton brutality no longer have to spend money to watch western gangster movies. Local television news bulletins are full of actual scenes of violence; they are in fact scarier than taut Hollywood thrillers such as Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. Sicarios of local gangsters […]

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference (CBCSL) in Sri Lanka yesterday appealed to the government to grant relief to the poor. CBCSL in a statement signed by its President Rt. Rev. Dr. Harold Anthony Perera and Secretary Rt. Rev. Dr. J.D. Anthony Jayakody said that many people were on the brink of starvation while there seemd to […]

Thuesday 22nd August, 2023 No sooner had the Indian government announced its decision to impose a 40% tax on onion exports to overcome a shortfall in the domestic supply than Sri Lankan traders jacked up onion prices exponentially. They would not have reacted so swiftly to a drop in onion prices in the international market. […]

By Saman Indrajith The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) on Thursday (17) granted approval for purchasing 100MW of electricity from the private sector on a short-term basis.The approval of PUCSL has been granted to the transmission licensee under section 43(4)(c)(ii) of Sri Lanka Electricity Act No.20 of 2009 (as amended). The Ceylon Electricity […]

By Saman Indrajith Sri Lanka would face a severe drinking water problem in the coming years and the government must launch a programme to address it, Dr. Meththika Vithanage, Senior Lecturer at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura told the media yesterday in Colombo. Climate change would be the main reason for water scarcity and the […]