Fishermen and officials of India and Sri Lanka to discuss long standing dispute

A special discussion on the fisheries problems of India and Sri Lanka will be held in India today with the participation of the officials and the representatives of fishermen from the two countries.

The discussion will be held on January 27 in Chennai Tamil Nadu. State officials and representatives of fisheries organizations of Sri Lanka and India will participate in this discussion.

The main focus of the discussion is preventing the Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lanka's territorial waters and the Sri Lankans entering into the Indian sea territory.

The Director General of Sri Lanka Fisheries Department will lead the five member team of officials from Sri Lanka. Ten representatives from the fisheries organizations of Sri Lanka's Northern and Eastern Provinces will also take part in the discussion.

There is a long standing problem of fishermen of both countries poaching in waters belonged to the other side. Hundreds of fishermen are arrested by the authorities every year.  

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is discussing with the Maldives to seek a safe passage for Sri Lankan deep she fishing vessels to migrate to the international waters of the Arabian sea. At present Sri Lankan vessels endeavor to cross Indian waters to reach the Arabian sea for fishing amidst threats of arrest by Indian authorities.

(Wrote to Colombo Page) 

Sri Lanka court orders police to arrest the suspects of church attack in Hikkaduwa tourist town

Sri Lanka's Galle Additional Magistrate Gunendra Kumara yesterday ordered Assistant Superintendent Police of Galle Upali Bandaranaike to arrest 26 identified suspects of the attack on two Christian religious places in southern tourist town Hikkaduwa.

Police submitted the report to the courts yesterday. According to the report 10 Buddhist monks are in the list of suspects who ransacked the property of two prayer centers of Assembly of God.

A group of extremist Buddhist monks and laymen attacked two Christian religious centers on January 12 in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka's tourist city in the south.

Buddhist Organizations in Hikkaduwa staged a protest in the area against Christian prayer centers operating in the region.

The monk-led mob resisted the police and destroyed the property hurling stones at the two prayer centers. The mob broke doors, windows and burnt religious signs and books.

Local media videoed the violence and broadcast in the evening news on TV channels.

The residents of these religious places were threatened and the police temporarily closed the main Galle Road as residents entered the Galle Road passing the Hikkaduwa town.

The Buddhist monks that led the protest said that the administrative authorities had ordered the prayer centers withdrawn.

However, the pastors in charge of these centers said they were registered duly and the eviction order is illegal.

The rising religious intolerance from extremist Buddhist monks-led organizations in Sri Lanka has raised alarms among the moderate public and if authorities fail to take adequate measures to curtail the violence the actions of thes extremist groups would have serious consequences, civil society leaders warn.

Giving is fun - An inspirational video

Giving whatever you have is nice way to receive happiness.

“Giving is the highest expression of potency. In the very act of giving, I experience my strength, my wealth, my power. This experience of heightened vitality and potency fills me with joy. I experience myself as overflowing, spending, alive, hence as joyous. Giving is more joyous than receiving, not because it is a deprivation, but because in the act of giving lies the expression of my aliveness.” ~ Erich Fromm 

Video from KarmaTube

The selfie syndrome

Click image to see it in full
Source: BestComputerScienceSchools.net

Sri Lankan police officer-in-charge nabbed with wife while distributng heroin

Sri Lanka police has arrested a senior police officer and his wife under suspicion of drug dealing.

The arrested police officer is an Inspector of Police. He is M.D. Munasinghe, the Officer-in-Charge of the Wellampitiya police station.

He and his wife are suspected of engaging in distributing drugs. Police recovered 26.5 grammes of heroin from the police officer's official quarters. The value of the cache of heroin is well over Rs. 150,000.

The police officer and his wife were arrested by the Police Organised Crime Investigation Division and detained till January 6 with the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) to be questioned over their involvement in drug trafficking, the CCD reported to Colombo Magistrate today.

Colombo Crime Division arrested the police inspector yesterday evening and arrested his wife also this morning via information obtained from three suspects who obtained about 25 grams of heroin from this police officer.

Sri Lanka to commercially cultivate durian

Sri Lanka Ministry of Agriculture has taken steps to commercially cultivate popular fruit durian. Many people like this exotic fruit but some say they can't bear the smell.

Durian, Durio Zibethius Murray, is a expensive fruit in Sri Lanka which has demand in export market. However, Thailand, West Malaysia and Indonesia are considered the major Durian growing countries.

The fruit is believed to have aphrodisiac properties; contains a high amount of sulpher, hence causing a sharp smell. It is mainly grown in Kandy, Matale , Kalutara and Kegalle districts. Durian is mostly naturally grown and cultivated in home gardens.

The Ministry of Agriculture has taken steps to establish a Durian village in Minuwangoda Divisional Secretariat in Gampaha district. Durian will be grown in 30 acres there. The Ministry has introduced a developed variety of durian which bears fruit in a short span of time.

Nutritive Values of Durian (Source: Ministry of Agriculture)
(per 100g edible portion)

Energy	183.0 k cal
Protein	2.8 g
Fat	3.9 g
Carbohydrates	34.1 g
Calcium	10.0 mg
Phosphorus	50.0 mg
Iron	1.0 mg
Carotene	12.0 ug

Find your car rescue data sheet

This blog helps you to find your car's rescue card or the emergency services cards.

Select and download the relevant card. Then print it, fold it and keep it under the sun visor of the car like this.

I wish you all an accident-free trip and hope that your new rescue card will never be needed.

Active and passive security systems are built into modern vehicles, which makes everything much safer than in the past. Active safety systems include ABS (antilock brake system), TCS (traction control system), and ESC (electronic stability control). Passive safety systems are there to minimize the consequences of an accident. Airbags, seat belt tensioners, and side-impact protection are just a few examples of these. The passenger compartments have also become more stable through the use of very sturdy construction materials and special profile forms.When an accident occurs, it can be a serious problem for the rescue team who need to reach the victims quickly,when the autos can’t be opened as in the past. The rescue tools that the fire department brings are sometimes useless against the new vehicle materials, and rescuers are dependent on accurate information, in order to find a technique for solving the problem. Airbags are often stored in different locations, due to the various companies’ methods of building vehicles. Since only the airbags needed in a crash are activated, the airbags that are not activated can be a potential problem during the rescue, if the fire department rescue tools were to damage the gas cartridges

The brand, the type of document and last update is mentioned in the list.

Abarth  PDF, 752 KB	Rescue Data Sheet	8/2013
Alfa Romeo	Rescue Data Sheet	8/2013
Audi	Application Sheet	6/2013
BMW/Mini	Rescue Map	1/2013
Chevrolet	Vehicle Data Sheet	5/2013
Chrysler	Rescue Data Sheet	3/2010
Citroen	Rescue Data Sheet	4/2012
CS-Reisemobile	Rescue Card	1/2013
Dacia	Rescue Data Sheet	4/2013
Daihatsu	Rescue Data Sheet	5/2011
Dethleffs (Wohnmobil)	Rescue Map	11/2013
Dodge	Rescue Data Sheet	3/2010
e-wolf	Rescue Card	1/2013
Fiat	Rescue Data Sheet	8/2013
Fiat Transporter	Rescue Data Sheet	8/2013
Ford	Rescue Data Sheet	8/2013
Honda	Rescue Data Sheet	7/2013
Hyundai	Rescue Data Sheet	1/2013
Infiniti	Rescue Data Sheet	06/2012
Isuzu	Rescue Data Sheet	9/2012
Jaguar	Rescue Data Sheet	2/2012
Jeep	Rescue Data Sheet	3/2012
Karabag	Rescue Card	6/2012
Kia	Rescue Data Sheet	10/2012
Lada	Rescue Card	12/2010
Lancia	Rescue Data Sheet	8/2013
Land Rover	Rettungsblätter	3/2013
Lexus	Rescue Data Sheet	6/2011
Luis	Rescue Card	1/2013
Mazda	Rescue Card	1/2013
Maybach	Rescue Card PKW	9/2012
Mercedes	Rescue Card PKW	9/2012
Mitsubishi	Rescue Data Sheet	2/2013
Nissan PDF, 10 MB	Rescue Data Sheet	7/2013
Opel	Rescue information	5/2013
Peugeot	Rescue Data Sheet	4/2012
Porsche	Rescue Data Sheet	7/2012
Renault	Rescue Data Sheet	5/2013
Saab	Rescue information	6/2010
Seat	Application Sheet for Accident Rescue Card	8/2013
Skoda	Guide Rescue and Recovery	7/2013
Smart	Rescue Card PKW	9/2012
Ssang Yong	Rescue Data Sheet	4/2013
Subaru	Information for rescue services	2/2013
Suzuki	Rescue Card	2/2012
Tesla	Rescue Card	11/2013
Think PDF, 334 kB	Rescue Card	4/2011
Toyota	Rescue Data Sheet	5/2013
VW	Rescue Data Sheet	6/2013
Volvo	Rescue Data Sheet	12/2012

Clemency pending to the PSD officers that tortured the Rookantha Gunatilake family

-Ajith Perakum Jayasinghe

The appeal filed by former officers of the Presidential Security Division (PSD) who were convicted and sentenced for harassing popular singers Rookantha  Gunatilaka and Chandralekha Gunatilaka couple was withdrawn at the Court of Appeal on November 12.  

The appeal was withdrawn even before a date was fixed by the Court of Appeal for hearing the case. Counsel Janaka Amarasinghe appearing for the motion filed by the suspects said to court that all ten suspects have given their consent in writing to withdraw the case. Although the lawyers did not explain the reason for the withdrawal, it is widely believed that they will be pardoned by the President soon. 

They were charged with unlawful assembly, organizing, intimidating and robbing the property worth of Rs. 3.6 million from the house of musician Rookantha Gunatilaka. Ten out of the 11 suspects of the case were sentenced by Panadura High Court on August 01 this year, following a lengthy trial for harassing the family of the musician and damaging their property, breaking into their residence at Mattegoda on January 26, 2000. The former PSD officers were sentenced for four and half years each rigorous imprisonment and they were also ordered to pay a sum of Rs. 200,000 each as compensation to the victims. One suspect was given simple punishment since he was a disabled person. All the convicts were not police officers. The fourth suspect was a laborer that worked for the PSD.  

Of them, three Police Constables and a Reserve Police Constable were retired by the time the judgment was delivered. The other six PCs were serving in various stations and two of them were in the present Presidential Security Division.

Barely two weeks after the judgment, Rookantha  and Chandralekha handed over a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees giving their consent for the release of the PSD personnel and for taking due measures to pardon them. 

With the withdrawal of the appeal, the sentences against the suspects are to be enacted and they have been now sent from the remand custody to the section of the convicted prisoners.

The Panadura Provincial High Court Judge while sentencing the 10 accused said that 'the accused PSD officers while on duty had taken the law into their hands and had committed a grave offence.' She further said that the court could not reject the evidence given by the complainants and the domestic aide who witnessed the horrific event.  

Rookantha and Chandralekha called a news conference and stated that the real persons who were behind the attack on them were “moving freely” whilst those who carried it out were languishing in jail. Rookantha said the command to attack them had come from a “very powerful and influential person at that time” and added that the “subordinates had to follow it.” Although the name of Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has not transpired in any way in the court case or in its aftermath, there are no doubts that Rookantha implied the former President who was also the Defense Minister by the time of the attack. Rookantha appeared on the stages of the opposition United National Party (UNP) singing a theme song which became popular. Then pro-Chandrika media laughed at Ranil Wickramasinghe’s out-of-the-rhythm clapping for Rookantha’s song.

Chandrika had close shave hours before the Presidential held on December 21, 1999, losing her right eye in a failed suicide attack on her life by Tamil Tigers. She was re-elected for a second term, receiving 51% of all votes cast.

After the incident the Gunathilaka family left Sri Lanka and lived in US for many years. They arrived in Sri Lanka after Mahinda Rajapaksa became the President of Sri Lanka and expressed their support to the government. 

The culprits of the intimidation case are likely to be pardoned with the consent of the victims. Clemency is a good value but punishment is considered as correcting mechanism in law. There are many a similar offenders that do not have access to seek Presidential pardon even though the victims or their families want them be pardoned on humanitarian grounds. One may say that these offenders were exposed to a shower of mercy simply they were in the President’s security and also a few are still there. 

“If there is something to pardon in everything, there is also something to condemn,” said Friedrich Nietzsche.

Rajpala Abenayake's eagerly toeing of the line

A Sri Lankan Journalist Eagerly Toes the Line

This New York Times article is impressive. Rajpal Abenayake is one of the few really professional journalists of this country. What he says is highly important despite his present day extreme partiality towards the government which goes so deep to name the journalist accused of killed by the government as terrorists using journalism as a cover. The statement at least admits the responsibility of the assassinations.

Actually, the government too has a logic behind its acts although some of them lack democratic values. For instance, Rajpal said that those who had fled the country were either working as agents of the countries they fled to or were looking for free tickets out. “They are economic migrants,” he said, “just like these people who get on boats to Australia.”

He seems not to have worries about his selection to be a pro-government media handler. “All journalists to a very great extent are forced to toe a certain line,” he said. “In the end, you gravitate to a place where the management views are in consonance with yours. And I have gravitated to that place.”

But what Dilrukshi Handunnetti says is also true. “You really cannot question them,” said Dilrukshi Handunnetti, the senior deputy editor of Ceylon Today. “It’s just not allowed. You are expected to stay forever grateful that they delivered us from war.” Ms. Handunnetti described Sri Lankan journalism, including her own newspaper, as “a collective lame duck.”

INFOTEL website is not Enhancing Lives as the theme tells

I happened to come across the website of the INFOTEL exhibition.

INFOTEL , organized by the Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS) will be held from October 24th to 27th at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Center (SLECC). The theme of the exhibition this year is Enhancing Lives. This is the 12th edition of INFOTEL.

A website of a similar exhibition should be an excellent provider of information. But INFOTEL website lacks it. Navigation is so poor that Read More links take you to almost empty pages.

We shall email this article to the organizing committee and wait and see for their responses.

TNA meets Sri Lanka President; Chief Minister to take oath before the President

Sri Lanka's major Tamil constituent Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sampanthan paid a courtesy visit to the President Mahinda Rajapaksa today at the President's official residence Temple Trees.

The meeting was held this morning but the information regarding the discussion was yet to be released to media by either of the parties.

Meanwhile, the TNA announced today that the Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister C.V. Vigneswaran would swear in before the President on October 07.

The councilors of the Northern Provincial Council will take oaths before the Chief Minister and the parliamentarian R. Sambanthan on October 11, TNA media spokesman Suresh Premachandran said.

Sri Lanka's Udugama police violate human rights of a man who violated animal rights

When I watched this video, I recalled the past I was taken like this in police and military vehicles hands and legs bound and pushed under the seats in 1989. There was nobody to talk about my rights except ICRC.

 I am lucky that I am alive but many that were taken like this simply disappeared. Some were even tied to vehicles alive and dragged.

Today in Sri Lanka there are so many people to represent the rights of cattle but no other animal. When they see a crocodile, often they harass it like a criminal and kill. They harass the elephants like this throughout their lives and think its pious.

The way this cow was transported to the slaughter house was clear violation of animal right. But the end result is no different even it is transported in a SUV.

My point is can the police harass a man, beat him with bamboo sticks and force him to kiss the arse of the animal even if he has committed an offense?

A mob also joins with the police or perhaps the police join with the mob to harass these men right within the premises of Udugama police station.

These police officers are engaged in clear violation of human rights.

Fonterra's Fonterrorism

Finding traces of DCD in milk powder created a huge controversy in Sri Lanka and that affected even the dairy farmers in New Zealand that supply milk to the multi national Fonterra, the world's largest dairy exporter,.

From Sri Lanka's part, as the consumer, we do not essentially need to accept whatever they sent to us. We have the right to question what they are giving us and it is not a bad idea to maintain a warning that they have to take us serious as stakeholders and highly regard the quality of their products. .

A spokesman of Sri Lanka Ministry of Health said yesterday that seven batches of milk food imports that were held in the Colombo port would be released to the market since tests proved they are negative for DCD.

The Industrial Technical Institute (ITI) has informed the Food Advisory Committee of Ministry of Health that the tested seven samples of the milk food stocks were tested negative for DCD.
Accordingly, the Food Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Health has decided to release the milk food to the market.

The Food Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Health met yesterday under the patronage of the Chairman of the committee secretary of the Ministry of Health Palitha Mahipala.

After the ITI found that two batches of Fonterra's anchor brand milk powder contained traces of DCD in the samples, the Health Ministry banned the sale, distribution and promotion of imported milk powder until further notice.

Fonterra was questioning the country's technical capacity to test for DCD.  New Zealand depends on the dairy industry for a quarter of its total exports.

The real international controversy over Fonterra was related not to DCD but to  botulism-causing bacteria. The contamination announced earlier this month has led to product recalls in countries from China to Saudi Arabia. Fonterra has come under attack at home and abroad for dragging its feet in disclosing the discovery of the bacteria.

China becoming Si Lanka's tourism lifeline

Sri Lanka government's economic lifeline tourism seems moving from lucrative European market, in which the country failed, to China as the government's tarnished international image hinders expansion into high end tourism markets.

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau says that the Chinese tourist market has improved immensely during the first six months of the year 2013.

Accordingly, the number of tourists that arrived in Sri Lanka during the first six months of the year 2013 increased to 16,582 from 9622 from the same period of the previous year.

The increase is a growth of 72.3 percent, the bureau says.

The Assistant Director of the Tourism Promotion Bureau Yuvaraj Athukorala said to media that the attempts of the country to tap the Chinese tourism market had gathered momentum.

512,281 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka in the first six months of the year 2013 and it is an increase of 13.1 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.

Solution for religious hatred

There are enough temples, churches and kovils etc. in this world.

Therefore ban construction more.

That is one solution for the situation.

A permanent solution for the religious hatred is giving up religion.

Follow me men, I blog for it.

Sri Lanka major opposition working committee pardons two rebel MPs

Sri Lanka major opposition United National Party (UNP) media spokesman Gayantha Karunatilake said that the working committee of the UNP had decided yesterday to reinstate the suspended memberships of the Puttalam district MP Palitha Range Bandara and Kurunegala district MP Ashok Abesinghe.

The leader of the party, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe reported to the working committee that he had met the two MPs and discussed a settlement. The two MPs had agreed to grant the support to the party in line with the party constitution, the party leader said.

Accordingly, the disciplinary action against these two MPs would be terminated and the party would consider to reinstate them in the electoral organizer positions they earlier held, UNP media spokesman said.

The two MPs were accused of taking part in a meeting organized at the Hyde Park, Colombo, by the United Bhikku Front with the participation of Sarath Fonseka, going contrary to the Working Committee decision not to participate in the meeting.

SriLanka's opposition demands parliamentary debate and an independent probe on Weliweriya killings

Sri Lanka's opposition Chief Whip John Amaratunga today demanded a debate in the parliament in regard of the deaths occurred in Weliweriya in Gampaha district in military involvement to disperse a group of people agitating for the right of safe drinking water.

Government Chief Whip Dinesh Gunawardane, Minister, said that the final decision regarding the debate may be taken at the meeting of the leaders of the parliamentary groups held today.

Delivering a special statement in the parliament today, the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe questioned why the Army was called to disperse a civilian agitation in a non-major town.

He demanded an independent investigation about the incident.

In response, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that the military called to manage the violent protest had to take self defensive and civilian security measures in the context of protestors attacking the personnel with Molotov Cocktail and shooting.

Bailed out Sri Lankan local government chairman parades in his area as a hero despite bribery charges

Sources from Sri Lanka's Meegahathenna area said that the released Chairman of Walallawita Pradeshiya Sabha was parading in the area in vehicle convoy after being granted bail by court.

The local government Chairman Udeni Athukorala who was caught red handed as he was soliciting a bribe of Rs. 1.5 million from the Chairman of Bentara Pradeshiya Sabha in relation to permitting soil transportation business was seen waving to people and participating in welcoming ceremonies organized by his supporters.

Walallavita Pradeshiya Sabha chairman, Udeni Atukorale was released on bail by the Colombo Additional Magistrate today. He was arrested on July 05 by officers of the Bribery or Corruption Commission. 

The suspect was  remanded until July 09 by Matugama Additional District Judge R.A.J. Rajapaksa, who ordered him to be produced in the Colombo High Court today. 

Three international election monitors invited by Sri Lanka for monitoring Provincial Council election

Election Secretariat of Sri Lanka says that three foreign teams have been invited to monitor the Provincial Council elections of the Northern, Northwestern and Central Provincial Councils.

The three international organizations invited to send the election monitors are South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Commonwealth and Association of Asian Election Authorities.

The Election Secretariat has also granted permission to local election monitoring NGOs Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) and People's Action for Fair and Free Elections (PAFFREL).

The secretaries of political parties contesting the three Provincial Council elections requested the Election Commissioner to deploy international monitors. 

Jute to chase the wild elephants that clash with humans of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Wildlife Department has decided to cultivate jute as elephant fence to prevent the wild elephants roaming into human settlements causing damages to both man and the wild elephants.

Addressing a press conference held in the Wildlife Department, the Minister of Wildlife Vijith Vijayamuni Soyza said that the elephants are afraid of this natural thorny cultivation.

So far the Wildlife Department built electric fences to scare away the elephants from villages. However, it has been identified costly for construction and maintenance. The jute fiber fence will be established parallel and close to the electric fence currently constructed to ward off elephants from the fence.

Around 200 humans and 50 elephants die each year in Sri Lanka due to man - elephant conflict.

Sri Lanka's popular jute plant is different from the Indian variety. I think what they are going to grow is the local jute plant.

Second death reported from Sri Lanka's drinking water struggle

Second death was reported on Saturday from Sri Lanka due to use of so called minimum power by military to disperse a group of villagers that was agitating for the right of safe drinking water in Weliweriya in Gampaha district.

The dead person was identified as a 19 year old youth, police media spokesman Buddhika Siriwardane said. He was in an Intensive Care Unit of Colombo National Hospital since Thursday until he passed away last night.





Earlier, a 17 year old school boy was also killed due to Army shooting.

Five more persons are still in National Hospital due to the injuries sustained as Army used 'minimum power' to disperse the protestors. 

The protest was against a Heyleys subsidiary rubber factory in Rathupaswala and the residents of 12 villages claim that the drinking water has been contaminated due to the industrial waste of this factory.

Indian Tamils, Upcountry Tamils, Country Tamils or Sri Lankan Tamils

Sri Lankan Prime Minister says that the Indian origin Tamils will have a new race name as Sri Lankan.

Were they not Sri Lankans so far?

British colonial rulers brought poverty stricken South Indian Tamils to Sri Lanka for plantation labor. They made the Sri Lankan soil fertile with their sweat and have been building the national economy for more than a century.

Majority Sinhalese and 'local' Tamils considered them as aliens or foreigners and wonderfully, the Marxist theorists like Rohana Wijeweera considered them as invaders.

This community which is suffering from endemic and abject social backwardness needs to be guaranteed their equal rights.

I don't know if the Sri Lankan race name in their birth certificates and other relevant documents will mean anything in a context the other Sri Lankans identify themselves as Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim peoples.

In my point of view, they have the right to the identity of Upcountry Tamils which they have fought for. But there is a considerable number of Low Country Tamils in the districts of Kalutara, Rathnapura, kegalle and Galle districts.

What if they are called Country Tamils? 

On the other hand, is Indian Tamil a derogatory remark? I don't think so. The Jaffna Tamil elite needed to alienate themselves from this community for backward reasons. They need the same with the Batticaloa Tamils also. Do we need to give into a backward need of a community?

Why can't they claim for the identity of Sri Lankan Tamils? If they too need to mark a distinct identity, I think still Indian tag is better than the geographical term of Upcountry. India is a powerful country you can be proud of our origin.

Kneeling down drama in Sri Lanka's Northwestern Province continued

Sri Lanka's Puttalam Magistrate Ranga Disanayaka today cancelled the bail of the notorious former councilor of the Northwestern Provincial Council Ananda Sarath Kumara who is accused of harassing a school teacher within the school premises.

The magistrate ordered Ananda Sarath Kumara be remanded until August 08 for violating bail conditions.

A complaint was lodged last week by the husband of the harassed school teacher against him the Provincial Councilor for making statements threatening to his wife and the family.

The politician himself had also lodged a complaint for the future safety.

Provincial Councilor Ananda Sarath Kumara was remanded and later bailed out since he made a female teacher of Navagattegama Navodya School right inside the school premises for punishing his daughter.



Media followed up the incident and created a series of news centering the politician and the teacher. The teacher recently denied the media reports that she would address the opposition political rallies in case the politico is granted nomination to contest the election from the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance.




The politico himself seems thrilled with the national level publicity he gained from this incident and he is trying to invest it for a victory at the next election. He is most likely to be granted ruling alliance nomination and no wonder if he wind the election with a a huge margin of preferential votes.

Issuing identity cards to artistes; latest joke of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka government has taken steps to issue identity cards to the artistes.After this identity card is issued all who do not possess it will not be artistes. 

A report said that the Ministry of Culture and Art Affairs had taken steps to issue identity cards to the recognized artistes. Recognized by whom? The government. Does one need government recognition to be an artiste?

The inaugural issue of identity cards will take place at the Tower Hall Theater under the patronage of the Minister of Culture and Art Affairs T.B. Thennakoon on July 29 at 2.30.

Initially, the Cultural Department will issue the identity card to 500 artistes. Sources say that more artistes have applied for this type of identity cards and the Cultural Department will issue them in the future.

Artistes should actually reject this identity card.

This began from the issue of identity cards to the professional journalists. They used it to outshine in a context citizen journalism had not conceptualized.

The artistes' identity card is more comical than it, I think. Every man is an artiste. The government has issued identity cards to all.