Beware! Sri Lanka's Sapugaskanda refinery producing low quality petrol

A gas station featuring five en:Octane ratings, somewhere near the Missouri/Iowa border (can't remember...). Photo taken by Bobak Ha'Eri. September 3, 2006.

Sri Lanka's Sapugaskanda petroleum refinery is giving enough troubles and it is to be closed again since Monday, this time due to drop Octane rating of refined petrol.

The petrol refined there now is Octane 88 and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation cannot issue them to the local market since the Octane numbers of the locally marketed petrol are 90 and 95.





The Octane rating of petrol tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites in the engine cylinder. Usually, the air and petrol mixed compartment in the engine is compressed to one eighth of capacity by the piston before the spark plugs ignite the mixture. Low Octane petrol may self ignite before the spark plug ignites. When gas ignites by compression rather than because of the spark from the spark plug, it causes knocking in the engine. Knocking can damage an engine,

Our studies showed that the lowest Octane number used in some countries is 87. However, high performance engines require high Octane petrol.I don't know if the engines of the most of the cars used in Sri Lanka can withstand a low Octane rating such as 87.


Ceylon Petroleum Corporation sources say that the reason for the loss of quality is using crude oil imported from Oman. The refinery used to refine petroleum imported from Iran before US embargoes against Iran disturbed the supply.

Reports say that the refinery has stored 3500 metric tons of low Octane petrol without issuing to the market.

Sri Lanka Minister Wimal Weerawansa, unregistered website and the Buddhist extremist Bodu Bala Sena

Sri Lanka's Buddhist extremist organization Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) has sought police headquarters support to locate the owner of LankaCNews website which the BBS claims linked to Minister of Housing, Construction, Engineering Services and Common Amenities Wimal Weerawansa.

BBS officials Vitharandeniye Nanda Thero and Dilantha Withanage complained that the Lanka C News website had posted derogatory news stories affecting their reputation. They cited a news story posted in the website that reports about a brawl which it says took place among two BBS officials.

They said that the website had not been registered under the Ministry of Information and Media as stipulated recently by the government.

The plaintiffs also say that the State Engineering Corporation and the National Housing Development Authority which come under the Ministry of Housing, Construction, Engineering Services and Common Amenities have provided financial assistance to run this website. Two flash banner ads displayed right below the master head of the website links to the websites of the above mentioned public corporations.

No regret from Sri Lanka's Met Department as death toll rises

Sri Lanka Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources released a list of names of 42 fishermen killed in the rough seas in Saturday night.

The report was based on information received as of 2.30 p.m. today and further 22 affected persons were being treated in hospitals.

43 fishermen are still missing with 24 boats. A Ministry spokesman said that the death toll might rise by tomorrow and a number of persons might remain disappeared. The highest number of deaths were reported from Balapitiya in the Southern coast.

Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources criticizes the Met Department for not issuing strong warning timely to the fishermen.

However, the Met Department insists they had issued warnings ahead of the disaster. No regret and apologizing from the weather body that depends on the public money.

However, the senior officials of the Met Department apologized before an NGO last week and made an offering under the NGO's order for naming a cyclone after an ancient king called Mahasen who built many reservoirs.

Breakthrough of CCTV evolution of Sri Lanka

We are in an age of Closed-circuit TV or CCTV, yes, in Sri Lanka too. Big Brother is looking at you.

Last week saw a major breakthrough in CCTV evolution in Sri Lanka.

In one incident a Chicago type Rs. 7.5 million robbery was filmed in Hollywood style by CCTV camera. Sadly, the 55-year-old  victim passed away days after of a heart attack. The money he had withdrawn was to be used for his daughter's wedding.He was followed right from the bank and the story of the bank's CCTV camera is yet to be revealed.

The other incident was treacherous. A man contracted to kill another man whom he was indebted millions of rupees. They ate together and drove off to the trap laid by killers. The contracted killers took the victim away. The man who gave the contract drew the car off to desert it somewhere. Later he was posing as desperately looking for his friend. He was caught red-handed when a CCTV camera of a house near the roadside where he deserted the car showed him slip away after parking the car there.

Interestingly but essentially not unexpectedly, the contract killers have been the members of  security staff of a senior Deputy Inspector General.

He is one of us (A man on the roof top of the Welikada prison of Sri Lanka)

This man is on the roof top of the Welikada prison of Sri Lanka's capital Colombo since Wednesday. He is not visible to the Baseline Road which runs in front of the prison. I captured him from the second floor of Nagarodaya Hall where I am participating in a training.

He seems a convicted man who has something to say to the world. But only a few local media reported the story even though very carelessly without digging into find the man's voice. 

He is one of us. He has a story to tell. He wants the world listen to him. That's why he is on this roof top.

Read the full story in Sinhala

Sri Lanka government should produce evidence for disappeared journalist's existence in France

Sri Lanka government today announced that the journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda claimed to be disappeared lives in France.

The statement in this regard was made by a back bench MP Arundika Fernando but in the parliament, if it is not a place meant to lie. In an earlier occasion  present Chief Justice Mohan Pieris then the head of Government’s delegation to the UN Committee Against Torture claimed that Prageeth was living abroad. When Prageeth's wife challenged him to produce evidence he simply retracted his statement to the UN Committee Against Torture and said he was unaware where Prageeth is.

MP Arundika Fernando expressed this observation as he was addressing the debate on bill to amend the Press Council Act. The MP argued that the opposition is making false allegations that the government is suppressing media.

Journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda disappeared hours before the 2010 Presidential election which was held on January 26. He supported the Presidential campaign of former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka.

I have met him once and I have written about him in Sinhala.  He was a writer with passion and drew interesting cartoons which you can see here.

The government repeatedly claims that Prageeth lives. Then why can't it produce proof?

Thanks Lal Kantha!

A series of agitations against the increase of electricity tariff has been scheduled in Sri Lanka this month by three fronts.

It is remarkable the way the People's Liberation Front (JVP) is conducting their agitations. They launched a general strike as their first step on May 21, mass agitation in Colombo on May23 and now they have come to cities. The next stage may be the work place or village level. A complete new strategy and it clearly appears a way of killing or ebbing a mass discontent in a way no damage is occurred to the system.

JVP has planned to hold a series of agitations against the increase of electricity tariff on June 05 at several places of the island. JVP says that protest marches, demonstrations and petition signing campaigns will cover all the districts.

Most of the agitations are scheduled to be held at 4 o' clock in the evening and a few are to be held later in the evening. The venues of the agitations are Nugegoda, Avissawella, Gampaha, Kaluthara, Anuradhapura, Mawathagama, Galgamuwa, Alawwa, Galle, Rathnapura, Pelmadulla, Kandy, Hatton, Chilaw, Bibila, Wellawaya, Ampara and Kaduruwela.

Meanwhile, the major opposition United National Party (UNP) has also planned to re-commence the agitations against the electricity tariff hike since June 13. The UNP agitation will be held at the Kandy city. The trade union coalition against the increase of electricity bill has also scheduled to hold three mass agitations in Kandy on June 06, on June 11 at Galle and on June 16 at Anuradhapura.

Probably, this will be the end of the road. The people have now received the electricity bill and they have clearly understood that mo relief will come their way. They did not participate in the premature general strike and they have lost the trust on the so called leaders of the masses if they still had any.

They will work harder to pay the bills and to lead the unavoidable miserable lives ahead of them.  

The agitations will have some really, really good photos at which the government will glance with their tongues in cheek. Thanks Lal Kantha!