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(Island.lk) - The national carrier SriLankan Airlines’focus on re-structuring its operations to effect aturnaround is recording a significant reduction inlosses, coupled with a rationalization of routes andaircraft.Stringent cost controls underscored by heightenedaccountability and transparency have beencornerstones of the new strategy. The newmanagement, supported by the incumbentgovernment, is successfully shedding its pastlegacy as a loss-making institution by adopting aleaner approach and making strategic moves tostrengthen its position as a leading regional airline.In the Financial Year ending 31st March 2016, theairline recorded a significantly improvedperformance compared to the previous year.Despite many challenges still remaining, it isencouraging to note that the airline’s performancein the first five months of the current financial yearhas seen a similar trend of improved performance.At the end of the last financial year, without the‘one-off’ payment relating to cancellation of thelease of one A350 aircraft, the airline’s Group Lossstood at LKR 9.03 billion, which represents a 45%

improvement for the 2015/16 financial yearcompared to the previous year. The net loss aftertaking the ‘one-off’ item into consideration is LKR11.59 billion, compared to the net loss of LKR16.33 billion during the previous year.The performance for the first five months of thecurrent financial year witnessed a 37%improvement, with a lower Group Loss of LKR2.32 billion compared to the previous year’s GroupLoss of LKR 3.71 billion. The interest cost alonefor this period was LKR 2.53 billion.Whilst the steep drop in fuel prices contributed tothe improved performance of the previous yearand the first five months of the current financialyear, this benefit was significantly eroded with theairline’s declining revenue.This is due to the addition of capacity to theColombo market by other airlines, accompanied bya dramatic drop in airfares in certain markets. Theperformance was further impacted by thedepreciation of the Sri Lankan Rupee. In fact, ithas been impacted by a loss of LKR 1.03 billionjust for the five months of this financial year alone.It is also a significant fact that the airline carries a

huge finance cost, which againcontributes to the increase in the Group’sLoss. The total interest bearing liabilitiesas at 31st August 2016 to banks/ financialinstitutions is USD 478.5 million (LKR69.7 billion).The interest cost for the current financialyear is estimated at LKR 6.2 billion. Aspart of the restructuring of the airline, theGOSL is expected to restructure thebalance sheet by taking off this debt,which substantially will improve thefinancial position of the Company.Re-structuring an airline is no easy task.Re-structuring a legacy airline towardsmaking it a sustainable entity is evenmore challenging. Therefore, given thecomplexity of the business, the re-structuring is being approached in a responsiblemanner in consultation with the shareholders.In a bold and informed step, the airline, inconjunction with the relevant governmentauthorities, reversed the A350 aircraft deal whichwas signed in 2013.

After careful consideration of a multitude of factors,including current and foreseeable future marketconditions, the onset of fierce competition, theinherited adverse financial situation of thecompany, and the very high lease rentals of theA350 aircraft, it became clear that these aircraftcould not be operated economically. SEE P8

(FT.lk) - New Delhi: India and Sri Lanka will sign theEconomic and Technology Cooperation Agreement(ETCA) by the end of this year, Sri Lankan PrimeMinister Ranil Wickremesinghe, said on Thursday.Addressing the India Economic Summit organised by theWorld Economic Forum (WEF), Wickremesinghe said,“The key thrust is our trade policy. Small domesticmarkets are insufficient to sustain growth. Therefore ashift to greater export orientation is required to achieve agrowth of 8%. Hence our trade policy will focus ongaining access into the large markets,” he explained.“We are cognisant that the economic asymmetrybetween Sri Lanka and India is going to increase in thefuture when the latter emerges as a major global playerin the increasingly multipolar world. The India Sri LankaFTA will be further expanded and deepened to gobeyond trading goods to cover trade in services,investments and technology cooperation,”Wickremesinghe said.The Proposed Economic and Technology CooperationAgreement will be signed by the end of this year, hesaid, adding that the ministers on the two sides arecurrently working on it. “Prime Minister Modi and Idecided we must conclude it by end of this year.”He pointed out that ETCA offers a strategic economicadvantage to Sri Lanka and to the five fastest growingsouthern Indian states. “These five southern Indianstates Karnataka, Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala andTelangana have a population of 250 million people and acombined GDP of $ 450 million. With the addition of Sri

Lanka’s 22 million at $ 80 billion economy, the GDP inthis sub regional economy will cross $ 500 billion,” hesaid.He added that along with the free trade agreementbetween Sri Lanka and Singapore, the ComprehensiveEconomic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India

and Singapore and the ETCA between India and SriLanka will establish a tripartite agreement for trade andinvestments.Speaking about Sri Lanka’s economic policy, the Premiersaid the better performing Asian economies allow SriLanka the space to carry out major reforms. SEE P10

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The Joint Oppositionconsisting of SLFP dissidentsand several UPFA constituents

held a massive rally inRatnapura on Saturday under

the patronage of formerPresident, Mahinda Rajapakse.

Pix by Krshan KariyawasamSee inside for more pics.

JointOppositionhold rally

inCity of Gems

SriLankan Airlines chartering a course towards a sustainable future

SriLankan Airlines Chairman Ajith Dias and CEO Capt.Suren Ratwatte at last week’s news conference.

(Pic by Nimal Dayaratne)

ISSUE 1297NEWSLANKA 13 OCTOBER - 2016PAGE 02

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Can you support MissLarishma Dias

My name is Larishma Dias and I am one of eightstudents who have been selected to go to Bosnia inOctober (2016) to support acharity(ourkidsfoundation.org) that has been helping thechildren of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the last sixyears.As a student, I will be helping the children read andwrite. My team and I will be making it our mission tomake sure that these children are left with a smile ontheir face.Larishma Diashttps://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/larishma-dias

Lankan to be ordainedDeacon in Sydney

(sundaytimes.lk) Aruna Perera, former tea tradeexecutive and founder-leader of the Holy TrinityCommunity in the Catholic Renewal Movement of SriLanka will be ordained to the Holy Orders of Deacons inthe Diocese of Sydney.The ordination to the permanent Diaconate will takeplace tomorrow at 7 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral inSydney. The ceremony will be presided over by theArchbishop of Sydney, the Rt. Rev. Anthony Fisher OP.Aruna Perera is believed to be the first Sri Lankan to beraised to the diaconate in Australia.

Protest in Ja-Elahampers traffic

(dailynews.lk) A protest on the Ja-Ela -Kurunegala Road is currently holding uptraffic, sources report.Resident are protesting that garbage fromMeethotumulla, is being dumped in Ja-Ela.They demand measures be takenimmediately, to rectify the situation.

(dailynews.lk) The Polgolla reservoir was emptied of its water to facilitate urgent repairs to itssluice gates. People who visited the dam site to witness the empty reservoir took the

opportunity to enjoy a walk on the reservoir bed. Deputy Director (Mechanical) H. M. Kalubandasaid they hoped to refill the reservoir by noon today after completing reforms.

Pictures by Asela Kuruluwansa

A Dam(n) site better

By Dilanthi Jayamanne(island.lk) The Global Burden of Disease, Injuries,and Risk Factors (GBD) - 2015 study revealed that20.6 per cent of Sri Lankans died of ischemicheart disease (Coronary Heart Disease) last year.The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation,University (IHMEU) of Washington saidyesterday that the GBD - 2015 studyidentified it to be one among the top fivecauses of death in the country last year. Theother causes were Cerebrovascular diseases(a group of conditions that affect thecirculation of blood to the brain -11.8percent), diabetes (7.9 per cent) asthma (5.2per cent) and self harm (five per cent).The GBD – 2015 also identified the top fivecauses of years lived with disability (YLDs).Low back and neck pain caused 11.4 percentof total YLDs, 10.6 per cent of sense organdiseases, 7.9 per cent diabetes, 6.6 percentdue to skin diseases and 6.2 percent YLDsdue to depressive disorders.The top five causes of disability -adjusted lifeyears (DALYs) in 2015 had been Ischemicheart disease, (9.5 percent), diabetes (6.8per cent), low back and neck pain (5.1 percent), self harm (five percent) andcerebrovascular diseases (4.67 percent).High systolic blood pressure was responsiblefor 12 percent total DALYs last year.Identifying the top five risk factors in terms ofDALYs for 2015, the GBD study revealedthat high fasting plasma glucose wasresponsible for 10.7 percent total DALYs. 5.9percent cholesterol, 5.7 percent high bodymass index and 4.8 per cent diet low inwhole grain.The number of maternal deaths in 1990 hadbeen 269 while the number of maternaldeaths last year had dropped to 107. The

Ratio of maternal deaths in 1990 per 100,000 livebirths had been 75.2 while last year it dipped to33.1 per every 100,000 live births.The life expectancy of women in 2005 had been78 while it increased to 81.2 last year. In the same

(Contd: on P4)

by Dasun Edirisinghe(island.lk) Most Sri Lankans had asked fordemocratisation of society and reconciliationamong various ethnic groups in a public opinionsurvey conducted by the Public RepresentationsCommittee on Constitutional Reforms, itsChairman Lal Wijenayake said yesterday.After handing over the original documents of thepublic opinion survey to the Department ofNational Archives at Visumpaya, Wijenayake saidthey had commenced obtaining public opinion inJanuary and the process had been completed inMay."We handed over the committee report to theConstitutional Reforms Committee on May 10,"Wijenayake said, noting that more than 5,000original documents as well as voice recordingshad been handed over to the Department ofNational Archives according in keeping with the

law.Wijenayake said they recorded statements from2,216 people countrywide and 1,000 organisationssuch as civil society groups, trade unions etc."In addition, we received around 5,000 writtensubmissions even from Sri Lankans livingoverseas," Wijenayake said, pointing out thatamong those interviewed were professionals,constitutional experts and members of the generalpeople.The original documents were now open for publicperusal at National Archives, he added. On behalfof the 19 member commission, Wijenayakehanded over the original documents to AssistantArchivist Chamila Rupika Priyangani. Secretary ofthe Commission Winston Pathiraja, members ofthe commission Themiya Hurulle, Dr. S.Vijesandiran, Kanthi Ranasinghe and SirimasiriHapuarachchi were also present on the occasion.

Lahiru Fernando(dailynews.lk) The Road Development Authority(RDA) has introduced a new system to detectspeeding vehicle on the Southern and KatunayakeExpressways.Speaking to the Daily News Online, Expressway

Operation, Maintenance and ManagementDivision Director S. Opanayaka said this was toreduce the escalating numbers of accidents on theexpressways.He said computerized detection systems will beinstalled between the interchange points, to relay

information on speeding vehicles to thecontrol room.Opanayaka said the information, transmittedthrough fibre cables, would show videoevidence of the vehicle, its speed andlocation.He said the system was equipped with nightvision that would allow the detection ofspeeding vehicles even at night.Therefore, he also said, there would be noroom for argument with offenders, as the RDAwas now capable of producing evidence.The majority of accidents on the expresswaysoccur due to high-speed, although themaximum limit is 100kmph. “We haveinformed drivers stick to speed limits viaDigital Message Boards, but some do notlisten. So we have to increase enforcement.”He said the new system was currently at thetesting level but they hoped to implement itnext month.

by Dasun Edirisinghe(island.lk) As in previous years, students fromoutstation schools have obtained highest marksat the Grade 5 Scholarship examination 2016,according to the cut-off marks released by theExaminations Department on Tuesday night.Commissioner General of Examinations, W. M.N. J. Pushpakumara said Sithija NiranSamarawickrema of Urugamuwa MethodistKanishta Vidyalaya at Dickwella in the MataraDistrict has scored the highest marks. Heobtained 196 out of 200 marks.Pushpakumara said two students had obtainedidentical marks, 195, for the second place. Theywere Ruwanya Methmini Gunasekera ofAssedduma Subarathie Kanishta Vidyalaya inKuliyapitiya and Kokulanasan Ahisigan ofRambekulam Maha Vidyalaya in Vavuniya.Pushpakumara said Nadini Sandesna Rajapaksaof Dedigama Primary School at Thuntota inKegalle, Thejana Kawsith Wijekoon of AsseddumaSubarathieKanishtaVidyalaya inKuliyapitiya,MapaMudiyanselageNethmi Subodiniof IbbagamuwaModel MahaVidyalaya,UdayarajanKoshikan of R. K.M. SriKoneshwaraHindu Vidyalayain Trincomalee,Senith DilwanRajapaksa ofWickramashila Central College, Giriulla, IneshDulanjana Chandrasiri of St. Joseph Vaaz College,Wennappuwa, Lisandi Imethma Handapangoda ofRoyal College, Horana, Rehara Binoli Miskin ofBomiriya Munidasa Cumaratunga KanishtaVidyalaya in Kaduwela and Umashankar Jayeni ofHindu Primary School, Jaffna scored identical 194marks for the third place.He said the pass mark in the Sinhala medium forColombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kandy, Matale,Kurunegala, Galle, Matara and Kegalle districtswas 159, for Ratnapura, Puttalam andHambantota Districts 156 and Anuradhapura,Polonnaruwa and Mullaitivu Districts 154.

The pass marks for other districts were: 153 forBadulla, 152 for Ampara and Moneragala Districts;151 for Nuwara Eliya District; 150 for Trincomaleeand Mannar Districts and 142 for Vavuniya District,Pushpakumara said.The Examinations Chief said in the Tamil mediumthe pass mark of 153 was for Colombo, Gampaha,Kalutara, Kandy, Matale, Kurunegala and Kegalledistricts. The second highest pass mark for Tamilmedium was 152 for Jaffna District and 151 for

Vavuniya,Batticaloa,Ampara,Trincomalee,Puttalam,Anuradhapura,Polonnaruwa,Badulla andRatnapuraDistrict.The pass marksfor other districtsin the Tamilmedium are: 150for Nuwara Eliya,Kilinochchi andMullaitivuDistricts, 149 for

Hambantota and Moneragala Districts.Pushpakumara said applications for re-correctionscould be submitted through school heads beforeNovember 04.He said the Grade Five Scholarship examination2016 results had been released on the InternetTuesday night and posted the results to respectiveschools yesterday.Pushpakumara said more than 350,740candidates had sat the examination on August 21.He said anyone can inquire regarding the resultsfrom the department hotline 1911 or on telephonenumbers 0112784208, 0112784537, 0113188350and 0113140314.

Outstation school students carry awayhonours at Grade 5 exam

New system to detect speeding vehicleon the Expressway: RDA

Most Lankans want reconciliationand democratisation

20.6 per cent of Lankans diesof heart disease

ISSUE 1297 NEWSLANKA 13 OCTOBER - 2016 PAGE 03


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National Summit to mark152nd birth anniversary

of Anagarika Dharmapala

(sundaytimes.lk) The National Summit to mark the 152nd birthanniversary of Anagarika Dharmapala was held on September 29

at the BMICH. The summit on the theme ‘Srimath AnagarikaDharmapala – Vision for the Future’ was organised by the

Presidential Secretariat in collaboration with the Ministry ofBuddha Sasana and the Department of Mass Communication of

the University of Kelaniya.

(gandyslondon.com) Inspired by the theloss of their parents in the 2004 Tsunami –Rob & Paul founded Gandys from theirbedroom in London together with theircharitable foundation; 'The Gandysfoundation'. Rob and Paul established theGandys foundation which supports theOrphans for Orphans initiative - aidingunderprivileged children with education,medication and nutrition.Rob, Paul and their siblings were fortunateto return to the UK where friends and familyhelped and supported them after the loss oftheir parents. Having being tragicallyorphaned at the age of 17 and 15 - thebrothers felt passionate about making a

significant difference in the world, too. Thekindness that was bestowed upon themduring this difficult time is essentially whatinspires Rob and Paul to improve the livesof fellow orphans who find themselves in amore challenging social position.The ‘Orphans for Orphans’ initiativeessentially provides a common ground forcommunities to gather together at afunctional facility. The Orphans for Orphansfacility encompasses a broad range offocus areas - including academic support,woodwork lessons and various sportsactivities. This facility not only providesimportant facets of youth development inthe community - but ensures that children

are safely occupied in after school lessonsand parents also have a chance to learnEnglish and Maths. At our kids campus,parents feel happy that their children aresafe and away from the dangers of thestreets - while they are able to work andprovide for their family. Therefore - theOrphans for Orphans facilities not onlyimproves the lives of the children - but ofthe parents and therefore the community,too.We would love to decorate this homeappropriately - with various forms ofartwork and additions that would educateand improve the growth of the children.Rob and Paul’s vision is to open as many

Kids Campuses as possibleand they devote themselves tohelping fellow orphans aroundthe world. Ultimately, Orphansfor Orphans was created as aplatform for them to combinetheir passion for travelling andvolunteering and use fashionas a force for good. Instilled inthe foundations of this initiativeis their determination tocontinue their parents valuesand vision to create a legacythat has a generational impacton the world.

ORPHANS FOR ORPHANS

Our Kids Campus in Sri Lanka has recently been expanded toaccommodate more children. We are grateful to everyone who hassupported the Gandys Foundation and made it possible for morepeople in the community to be in a safe, enriching environment.

Heart diseasefrom P2period life expectancy of men hasrisen from 70.1 to 74.1.The IHME said that the new globalburden of disease study had saidthat income, education and birthrates were not the only keys tohealthy living in 195 countries. It said

that improvements in sanitation,immunisation, indoor air quality andnutrition had enabled children indeveloping countries to live longerover the past 25 years.However this progress wasthreatened by increasing numbers ofpeople suffering serious healthchallenges related to obesity, highblood sugar levels, alcohol and drugabuse.

(island.lk) The word ‘Aiyo’ is now anaccepted English word. The OxfordEnglish dictionary has included thepopular south India slang and thenews is trending on social media,said a news report published onlineyesterday by Sun Daily of Malaysia.The report filed from Kuala Lumpursaid: The definition given for Aiyo is –to denote distress, regret, or grief;‘Oh no!’, ‘Oh dear!" in south Indiaand Sri Lanka.Variations accepted includes ‘aiyoh’and ‘aiyah’.This news has created muchamusement among people,

especially those who play thepopular word game Scrabble."An interesting addition to theaccepted word list. Look out duringyour next Scrabble game!" onenetizen said on Facebook.The Oxford English Dictionaryupdates it bank of words four timesin a year.The latest addition saw the inclusionof various words like mamak(Malaysian word for street stall),pancit (flat tyre) and even populardishes from Singapore and South-east Asia like "char kway teow","chicken rice" and "rendang".

Govt. intervenes to resolve issues

BY SURESH PERERA(island.lk) The launch of Sri Lanka’s first weekly,five-star super-luxury liveboard charter under thenew ‘Aggressor’ branded Yacht operation has nowbeen given the go-ahead by the government afterthe multi-million dollar marine project virtually ranaground overissues of technicalspecifications."We will belaunching ourmaiden charterfrom Trincomaleeon October 22",says David Home,the delighted localpromoter."Most of the issueshave been sortedout and we areready to sail with a complement of foreignpassengers", he noted.The international operator of ‘Aggressor’ wasforced to cancel seven scheduled super luxuryliveboard yacht charters and safari lodge trips inSeptember due to a technical specificationdemanded by Sri Lanka’s merchant shipping

authorities.However, after The Sunday Island exposure on theluxury yacht fleet ‘sinking’ even before it could sail,the issue captured the attention of the highestlevels of government and resolved."Your story was fantastic", Home smiled, referringto The Sunday Island September 25, 2016 lead

story headlined"Super luxuryyacht charters runinto a storm overIACS classificationdemand: Sevenscheduled tripscancelled, operatorapologizes tointernationalguests".Home said thereare three differentitineraries for

cruises which sail 12 nautical miles covering thelength of the island within its territorial waters.The charters will operate for six months inTrincomalee and then sail for operations inColombo during the non monsoon season, hesaid."The charters have been booked three years in

advance", Home said.

‘Aiyo’ added to OED

Super luxury ‘Aggressor’ Yacht operationgets green light to sail

By Chaminda Silva(island.lk) Air Force helicopters were deployedyesterday to fight the garbage dump fire near theVincent Dias Stadium in Badulla.The Badulla town has been engulfed in smoke dueto the fire that erupted on Saturday night.Uva Chief Minister Chamara SampathDassanayake said that services of SLAF choppershad been obtained on the orders of PresidentMaithripala Sirisena.SLAF sources said they transported water fromthe Loggalla Oya to dousethe fire in the garbage dumpwhich had spread to aboutfive acres behind theStadium in Badulupitiyaarea.Uva Provincial EducationDirector PiyadasaRatnayake said severalschools in Badulla had beentemporarily closed onMonday and yesterday afterfour students fell sick andhad to be hospitalised afterinhaling smoke thatemanated from the garbagedump. Vihara Maha DeviGirls College, Dharmadutha

College, Uva College, Al Adhath College andBadulla Tamil College were affected.Badulla Municipal Council CommissionerWijeyasiri Randeniya said there was a risk of toxicfumes being released as a result of the fire. TheBadulla Urban Council has urged residents torefrain from inhaling the smoke that is spewing outof the garbage dump. The thick smog from thegarbage dump has spread across Badulla town.The garbage dump spread over five acres haddried up and caught fire.

SLAF choppers called into fightgarbage dump fire at Badulla


Crimes Accidents&

Three persons arrested

By Saman Gamage(island.lk) Five persons and 17 kilos of C4 andTNT explosives were taken into custodyfollowing a joint operation conducted by the STFcommandos and Special Operation Unitmembers of the Trincomalee Police on Saturday.The explosives had been hidden in two housesat Muttur and Sampur areas, police said. Theywere recovered following a tip-off received by theSOU of the Trincomalee police. The SOUmembers raided a house at Muttur on the tip offand found seven kilos of C4 explosives. Three

persons residing at the house were arrested andtheir subsequent interrogation led to the recoveryof second stock of explosives hidden in anotherhouse at Sampur area. When the three suspectsdivulged information of the second stock ofexplosives, the police obtained the assistance ofthe STF commandos. The joint operation helpedrecover 10 kilos of TNT explosives, police saidadding that all suspects were Muslim and Tamils.Further investigations are in progress under theinstructions of Senior DIG Eastern Range NuwanEdirisinghe.

President ready to order a probe

by Shamindra Ferdinando(island.lk) President’s Counsel HemanthaWarnakulasuriya told The Island that he hadreceived an assurance from PresidentMaithripala Sirisena that allegations thatColombo High Court Judge ShiranGunaratne’s telephones were tapped andhis e-mail hacked by the CID would beinvestigated once relevant authoritiesreceived a complaint.PC Warnakulasuriya revealed thatPresident Sirisena was seriously concernedabout the revelation made by him at the BarCouncil with regard to HC judge Gunaratne’sissue and phoned him in the wake of formerPresident Mahinda Rajapaksa referring to theincident outside the Colombo Magistrate Courton September 30.

Responding to criticism that he hadn’t so farlodged a complaint with the police in spite ofgoing to the media, Warnakulasuriyaemphasized that HC judge Gunaratne had

officially complained to Chief Justice K.Sripavan as well as the High CourtJudges’ Association (HCJA). "When HCjudge Gunaratne orally complained to CJSripavan, the latter wanted him to makethe complaint in writing."Warnakulasuriya said that in view of HCjudge Gunaratne’s written complaint, the

government could initiate an inquiry.Justice Minister Dr Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC,yesterday told The Island that he hadn’t receiveda complaint in that regard so far. MinisterRajapakse said that during Oct 4 sessions inParliament he had said the matter could bebrought to the notice of the police.

Duminda Silvain hospital

with Yellow Fever

Lady doctor andanother woman killed

in road tragedy

Lahiru Fernando(dailynews.lk) Formerparliamentarian Duminda Silvawho is currently serving a deathsentence, has been hospitalisedwith what is suspected to beYellow Fever, sources said.Speaking to Daily News Onlinethis morning, the PrisonDepartment said the former

parliamentarian had taken ill four days ago, andwas admitted to the Prison Hospital.Duminda Silva was sentenced to death onSeptember 8 by the Colombo High Court forcommitting the murder of four persons, includingformer MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra in2011. He has currently appealed the sentence,challenging the judgment of the Colombo HighCourt. Yellow Fever is a viral infection that causesdamage to the liver, kidney, heart andgastrointestinal tract.Major symptoms may include sudden onset offever, yellowing of the skin (jaundice) andhemorrhage. The disease is spread through bitesof infected mosquitos.

(dailymirror.lk) A lady doctor and another womanwere killed when the double cab they weretravelling in crashed into a container parked on theroadside. The seriously injured driver was rushedto the Maho District Hospital and then to theKurunegala Teaching Hospital.According to witnesses the driver appeared tohave lost control of the vehicle and veered off theroad before crashing into the container atUdagama in Maho along the Anuradhapura –Kurunegala road last morning.The lady doctor Gowrie Nandakumar (40) wasattached to the the Vavuniya hospital. The otherwoman has still not been identified. (SajeewaKottage)

17 kilos of C4 and TNT explosivesrecovered from Muttur

‘CID tapping HC judge’s phones,hacking e-mail’

(asianmirror.lk) Two Sri Lankan children drownedat Ain Garziz late on Saturday evening, sourcessaid.One girl was studying in IndianSchool Salalah and the secondchild was studying in a privateschool.The accident happened whentwo families went for a picnic ataround 6pm.According to sources, the girlswere attempting to take "selfie"photographs when tragedy struck.“The girls went towards the spring, slipped whiletaking a selfie and fell into it. Initially one girl

slipped and in a bid to save herself, she caughtthe hands of the other and both fell down in thedeep water. They were pulled out after a long

struggle, rushed to the SultanQaboos Hospital where theywere declared brought dead,”sources added.The girl studying in IndianSchool Salalah has beenidentified as Ruwane DelsaraHerath Samaraweera, while theother identified as Zainab was

studying in a local private school in Salalah.(Times of Oman)

Two Sri Lankan Girls Drown In OmanWhile Taking Selfie

Lakmal Sooriyagoda(dailynews.lk) The Court of Appeal today, fixedfor support on October 13, the appeal filed by theAttorney General against the sentences imposedby the Colombo High Court, on the convicts ofBritish aid worker Khuram Sheikh’s murder.Four convicts, including the former TangallePradeshiya Sabha Chairman SampathChandrapushpa Vidanapathirana, weresentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment onJuly 18, 2014.The four were found guilty of killing British touristKhuram Shaikh in December 2011, and forraping and brutally assaulting his fiancée whilethe two were on holiday at a tourist resort inTangalle.The Attorney General however, through hisappeal has maintained that the sentencesimposed on the convicts were insufficient. TheAG suggested the convicts are given the deathsentence or life imprisonment, as they committedthe murder using weapons as members of an

unlawful assembly.The petition also noted that theJudge had reiterated thatfourth accused in the unlawfulassembly had used a firearmand that in cases of unlawfulassembly an offencecommitted by one applies to allin the group.Court of Appeal Justices Deepali Wijesundaraand Rohini Walgama fixed the application forsupport on October 13. The case will be taken upbefore a bench - not comprising Justice RohiniWalgama - as she declined to sit on the bench.Four other appeals, filed by the convicts againstthe Colombo High Court Judge’s verdictsentencing each of them to twenty years rigorousimprisonment, were also fixed for that date.The four accused are former TangallePradeshiya Sabha Chairman SampathChandrapushpa Vidanapathirana, Lahiru Kalum,Saman Deshapriya and Prageeth Chaturanga

Khuram Sheikh’s murder:Appeal fixed for support

Sinharasa Case: FRagainst PM’s remarks

dismissedLakmal Sooriyagoda(dailynews.lk) The Supreme Court today refusedleave to proceed with the Fundamental Rightspetition filed by a lawyer, challenging the PrimeMinister’s remarks over Sinharasa case.While refusing to grant leave to proceed with thecase, three-judge-bench upheld the preliminaryobjections raised by Attorney General, that theCourt should not interfere with the affairs ofParliament.This is in accordance with Section 3 of theParliament (Powers and Privileges) Act.The three-judge-bench comprised JusticeBuwaneka Aluvihare, Justice PriyanthaJayawardena and Justice Anil Goonaratne

Namal seeks200 million incompensation

Ramith Rambukwellafined Rs. 29, 000

for traffic offenses

Father, son hackedto death

Lakmal Sooriyagoda

Lakmal Sooriyagoda

From Asoka Thilakaratne,

(dailynews.lk) United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance(UPFA) Hambantota district MP NamalRajapaksa this morning filed a case in ColomboDistrict Court claiming Rs.200 million incompensation from the Financial CrimesInvestigation Division (FCID) of the Police.MP Rajapaksa is seeking compensation for hisarrest by the FCID on July 11 over allegedirregularities amounting to Rs. 70 million withIndia's Krrish Group.

(dailynews.lk) Cricketer RamithRambukwella, the son of formerMass Media and InformationMinister Keheliya Rambukwella,was fined Rs. 29, 000 by theColombo Additional Magistrate,after he pleaded guilty to fivetraffic offences.Ramith was arrested after his vehicle crashedinto a tree on Independence Avenue, Colombo 7in the wee hours of September 2, as he wasreturning from a bachelor’s party. It wassuspected he was inebriated at the time.Cinnamon Garden’s Police, who made thearrest, charged Ramith with five traffic offenses:reckless driving, failing to avoid an accident,drunken driving, driving an unregistered vehicleand using fake number plates.Ramith pleaded guilty to all charges andaccepted the fine imposed on him by ColomboAdditional Magistrate Chandana Kalansuriya.

(island.lk) A father and his son were chopped todeath and two other members of the familycritically injured by three armed men, whostormed a house at Mahajandura,Murawesihena in Angunukolapelessa policearea on Sunday (09) night.The deceased were identified as J. K. Ariyapala(61) and J. K. Gayan Sandaruwan (26).The mother of the family Somalatha Siriwardane(51) and their other son J. K. Udara (29),critically injured in this brutal attack wereadmitted to Tangalle Base Hospital.A private grudge is the cause for this attack,police believe.

Sri Lanka to signagreement with Chinaon Special EconomicZone in Hambantota

(colombopage.com) Sri Lanka in the near future willsign the proposed agreement with China to lease15,000 acres of land for a Special Economic Zone(SEZ), State Finance Minister Lakshman YapaAbeywardena said. Addressing the media at theFinance Ministry Tuesday, Minister Abeywardenasaid Speaking at a press conference at the FinanceMinistry today, Abeywardena said that the land forsetting up of a special economic zone will be inHambanthota in the Southern Province. Accordingto the State Minister, the creation of the specialeconomic zone is expected to generate over onemillion jobs. China in July has requested 15,000acres of land in southern Sri Lanka for the creationof a special economic zone that will create onemillion jobs. However, China's proposed SEZ willnot only be for Chinese companies. Japan, India,and Singapore have also expressed interest injumping in, according to a report in Forbes.The government had earlier said in addition to theSouth, they were also looking at Trincomalee,Kandy and Wayamba and the two zones inMeerigama and Horana to set up special economiczones. Abeywardena also said the government wastrying to increase its income in the export andindustrial sectors. He said state income shouldincrease by 16 to 17 percent over the next fewyears and added that failure in this regard couldtrigger an economic crisis.

(sundaytimes.lk) Three pioneer hospitalityinstitutions joined hands once again in aCorporate Social Responsibility initiative markingWorld Children’s’ Day on October 1. Sri LankanCares, the charitable arm of SriLankan Airlines,Ebert Silva Holidays, the pioneer company in SriLanka’s travel and tourism industry, and GalleFace Hotel, the foremost heritage hotel in SriLanka celebrated World Children’s’ Day with thetheme “In Remembrance of You”.The event was also held in recognition of thechildren of our fallen and disabled heroes whosacrificed their lives and the happiness of theirfamilies to bring permanent peace to the nation.All three armed forces as well as the Police wererepresented by 40 children and their remainingparents.“Children are our treasure, and handling them withcare and commitment while opening a whole worldof hope for these innocent children, was our mainobjective,” Sri Lankan Cares Manager NiroshanRanawake stated.Rajini de Silva Mendis, Chairperson of Ebert SilvaHolidays, said, “It is not only the fathers of thesechildren that have made great selfless sacrificesfor the motherland. At the cost of their carefree andhappy childhoods these children too have made a

great sacrifice. Their lives have taken a differenthue with the experience of having lost a father orhaving being affected for life by war. We wanted toshow our gratitude and appreciation and to let

them to know that just like their fathers’ they tooare heroes to the nation.”“In a civil strife, whichever side may call itself thevictor, there are no winners, but survivors. The

question is not who won themost but who lost the least.Hence the synergy throughthe three companies gavethese children a very happyexperience,” stated MahikaChandrasena, DirectorMarketing Communicationsof Galle Face Hotel. “A guestjourney is not only about ahotel experience; it is alsolove, hope and the personalcare provided that makes it amemorable experience.”After arriving at the airport ingaily decorated doubledecker buses, the childrenthen headed for afamiliarisation tour courtesyof the Airport and Aviation

Authority. With much excitement, they boarded theA 330 Oneworld Sri Lankan Airlines aircraft. Afteran inspirational introduction to aviation, they wereserved lunch on board. The evening ended with adelectable tea party with entertainment at the GalleFace Hotel.


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Meals on boardAfter the tea party at the Galle Face Hotel

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SriLankan, Ebert Silva, Galle Face Hotel come together to servechildren of our fallen and disabled heroes

SriLankan AirlinesCONT FROM P1.... Although significant one-off costs had to beagreed to in order to terminate the contracts, it wasrecognized that inducting and operating theseaircraft would not augur well for a sustainablebottom line going forward.The fleet strategy for the future will complementthe network strategy of more medium and shorthaul destinations using narrow-body aircraft andwide-body aircraft with lower ownership costs.The network rationalization has seen someunprecedented decisions having been made onthe routes. By the first week of November, routesto Continental Europe will no longer be operatedby the airline. SriLankan’s gateway to Europe willbe London, with Continental Europe being servedby a number of code shares with partners, offeringpassengers a seamless product. This decision toowas the result of a careful study of the network.While the strategy of network rationalization is notuncommon in most airlines’ restructuring,SriLankan further recognized that rationalization

alone will not bring about sustainability. Hence, ithas identified certain new markets which it canserve profitably, as well as existing destinationsthat can be served with increased frequencies.Gan in the Maldives, will be the first such newdestination, and SriLankan will be the onlyinternational airline serving Gan. Other potentialdestinations in India and South East Asia are beingevaluated and will be introduced as the narrow-body fleet deliveries come on stream from the nextfinancial year.The integration of the Mihin Lanka routes withSriLankan has helped to consolidate the scheduleenabling more productive and efficient inventorymanagement which is forecast to improve therevenues. With this integration, additionalfrequencies operated will be operated to theSeychelles and Dhaka will receive wide-bodyflights.No restructuring effort can be successful towardsbring about sustainability, without a clear focus oncosts while at the same time not compromising onsafety and security. Notwithstanding numerouschallenges, the airline has been able to contain itscosts and make savings in certain controllable

items.This has been due toincreased scrutiny ofexpenses across allareas. The airline’sstaff have comeforward to makeconstructivesuggestions towardscost-saving initiativesand also worked hardat negotiating costreductions withvendors.Aircraft Lease costs,being the second-largest cost item forthe airline next to fuel,had to be addressed.The Wet Lease of anA330-300 aircraft toPakistan International

Airlines (PIA) is an initiative towards this end. It isexpected that the airline will negotiate a longerterm dry lease with PIA for three A330-300 aircraftat the end of the wet lease period. The revenuesfrom this project will offset the high lease rentals onthese aircraft.Commenting on the ongoing restructuring activitiesand performance of the airline, Capt. SurenRatwatte, CEO of SriLankan Airlines, explains,"The new management is committed to buildingrevenues, consolidating operations and controllingcosts, which are already helping to strengthen thecompany’s bottom line."As a company, we are consciously sweating ourassets harder to ensure optimal utilization of allresources. The strategic decision to position theairline as a regional player has been followed upby rationalization of our fleet to consist of morenarrow-body aircraft rather than A350s, which aremeant for long haul destinations."We have a clear blueprint mapping our trajectoryto become a leaner and more efficient operator,which is being achieved steadily, after years ofloss-making operations. More than anything else,we are proud of the culture of transparency andaccountability that has been instilled in theorganization which in time will restore thereputation enjoyed by the airline in the first few

decades of its establishment."The Airline’s Aviation College is steadily becominga magnet for students from Sri Lanka and theregion wanting to build a successful career in theaviation industry. It is the only European AviationSafety Agency (EASA) certified aviation college inthe region offering engineering, ground handlingand cabin crew training in-house.The airline’s EASA certified MRO capability is heldin high esteem with the airline being awardedcontracts by several airlines for third party work,which is expected to grow in the future and be

(Contd: on P10)

Lewke namedpresidential

security advisor(island.lk) Nimal Lewke formerlySenior Deputy Inspector General of

Police – Northern Province and Commandant STF,who was involved in counter terrorism operationsuntil the country was liberated from terrorism hasbeen appointed by President Maithripala Sirisenaas Security Advisor.

By Cyril Wimalasurendre(island.lk) KANDY: Student of D. S. SenanayakaVidyalaya, Kandy Saratha Pavith Rajapaksa, whosecured first place at the Year 5 Scholarshipsexamination in Braille was felicitated by the CentralProvince Governor Niluka Ekanayake.Governor Ekanayake invited the student and hisparents and congratulated them. She also made afinancial contribution. The student is a resident ofGurudeniya in Kandy. Secretary to the GovernorTissa Karunaratne and Assistant Secretary Ms.Swarna Perera were present. GovernorEkanayake presenting the gift to Saratha PavithRajapaksa.

CP Governor felicitates studentwho came first answering in brail


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Joint Opposition hold rally in City of Gems

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By Arthur Vamanan and Ruwan LaknathJayakody

(nation.lk) Minister of National Coexistence,Dialogue and Official Languages, Mano Ganesanconfirmed that he has complained to PresidentMaithripala Sirisena with regard to interferencefrom former President Chandrika BandaranaikeKumaratunga in relation to ongoing efforts atreconciliation in the country.Kumaratunga, a backer of the incumbentGovernment, is currently the Chairperson of theOffice for National Unity and Reconciliation(ONUR).“I do not want to be made to look like some

showcase Minister or a Minister for show whileothers do the work of reconciliation”, Ganesansaid.He further added that the ONUR chaired byKumaratunga was continuing to poke its fingersinto the work of the Ministry of NationalCoexistence, Dialogue and Official Languages. Henoted that external interference was bearing downon his efforts to establish national reconciliation.According to Ministry sources, activities comingwithin the purview of the subjects of reconciliationefforts are presently being handled by severalMinistries and establishments.Kumaratunga was not available for a comment.

Mano-CBK clash over reconciliation

ETCACONT FROM P1.... He said Sri Lanka will carry out reforms formacroeconomic stabilisation which is based onfiscal consolidation and the increase of taxrevenue, which is expected to reduce the budgetdeficit to 3.5% by 2020. The stabilisation programwill be accompanied by measures to restructurethe economy which include exchange rateflexibility, and trade liberalisation to make SriLanka a platform for value addition.“We are also liberalising the tariff and the non-tariffbarriers that are denying enterprises the

opportunity of gaining access to the latesttechnology and know-how, and depriving ourconsumers of the best quality of goods andservices.”“We also want to take measures to see a rapidimprovement in ease of doing business by theearly part of 2018.” the PM said adding thatmaximising these factors will transform Sri Lankainto a geo-economic centre in South Asia,dynamically and synergically engaged with therest of the region.The final target is a highly competitive socialmarket economy, the Prime Minister said.

(colombopage.com) Pledging to do the utmostto protect the freedom, democracy andhistorical heritage of the country, Sri LankanPresident Maithripala Sirisena said he will fulfillall the responsibilities according to hisconscience and rejectedthe allegation that he isworking towards thedivision of the country."I became the Presidentof Sri Lanka not toseparate or divide thecountry or to weaken thesecurity forces or toremove the place forBuddhism from theconstitution as stated inthe accusations by somegroups, but to do utmostto protect the freedom,democracy and the historical heritage of thecountry and to build Sri Lanka as a free anddemocratic country," the President said.Speaking at the Amarawiru Piyamaga programon Tuesday, the President said he has manyresponsibilities conferred by the history and hewill fulfill those responsibilities according to hisconscience as a mission for the era.The ceremony held at the HambantotaInternational Convention Center has beenorganized to mark the completion of 25 years ofpolitical life of the General Secretary of the

United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) andthe Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic ResourcesMahinda Amaraweera.Speaking further, President Sirisena said it isthe responsibility of the politician to fulfill their

responsibilities for thepeople. He commendedthe commitment of Mr.Amaraweera for hismission for the peopleand expressed his bestwishes for the Minister forhis future endeavors."Before speaking aboutthe mega developmentprojects and deepphilosophies, politiciansshould recognize thegrassroots level issues ofthe people. The

responsibility of the people's representatives isto look into the day to day problems of thepeople and to provide solutions for them", thePresident further stated.He pointed out that the politicians should lookinto the requirements of the people in theirareas at a time they are facing difficulties due toinsufficient water during the prevailing drought.Minister Amaraweera entered into politics in1991 when he was elected as the President ofthe Pradeshiya Sabha in Agunakolapelessa.Since then he has been a member of the

Southern ProvincialCouncil, Member ofParliament, DeputyMinister and aCabinet Minister.

SriLankan AirlinesCONT FROM P8a significant source of revenue for the airline.While a great deal of attention has been paid tothe re-structuring efforts, the management haskept a close watch on service and standardswhich are the cornerstone of this industry. Theairline has continued to invest in people andtraining to maintain service standards tocomplement its product, which is on par with thebest-in-class.

When asked to comment on the Public PrivatePartnership (PPP) for the airline, Chairman ofSriLankan Airlines, Ajith Dias, said the negotiationsare being initiated by the Government of SriLanka, which is negotiating with severalprospective partners who have communicatedtheir expressions of interest.He said the lead manager for this transaction isthe National Savings Bank. Our objective is tofocus on re-structuring the airline in order toensure a framework for sustainability is in place fora PPP that the shareholder will enter into.

Sri Lankan President vows to protect freedom,democracy and historical heritage of the country

(news.lk) SriLankan Airlines, the NationalCarrier, has launched full-fledged Sinhalaand Tamil language options on itswebsite www.srilankan.com to betterfacilitate the air travel of peoplethroughout Sri Lanka,as part of a newmarketing campaign on the theme of ‘BeSri Lankan, Fly SriLankan’.Captain Suren Ratwatte, CEO ofSriLankan Airlines, said: “SriLankanAirlines has for 37 years been the largestcarrier of passengers into and out of Sri

Lanka, and we will continue to do so intothe foreseeable future. One of our mainpriorities is to cater to the travel needs ofall Sri Lankans, and we are delighted tointroduce our National Languages on ourwebsite.”SriLankan re-launched its website inApril 2016, with state of the art features,and has since added language options inArabic, French, German, Japanese,simplified Chinese and traditionalChinese, with dedicated home pages for

many countries it flies to, in order tooptimize levels of convenience for localcustomers. Siva Ramachandran, ChiefCommercial Officer of SriLankan, said:“The National Carrier has continuouslyexpanded our services to our Sri Lankancustomers through a variety of methods.The Sinhala and Tamil language enabledwebsite offers our valued customersflexibility and added conveniencewhenever they wish to use the webservices of the airline.”

SriLankan Airlines launches websites in Sinhala and Tamil


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(colombogazette.com) Iranian President HassanRouhani while calling for further Tehran-Colomboties, voiced Iranian companies’ readiness toparticipate in development plans in Sri Lanka, theMEHR news agency reported.Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made theremarks in a Monday meeting with his Sri Lankancounterpart Maithripala Sirisena that was held onthe sidelines of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD)summit in Bangkok, Thailand.Rouhani added that Iran and Sri Lanka havealways had good relations and there is no obstacleon the path of development of tiesbetween the two countries.President Rouhani referred to commonviewpoints of Iran and Sri Lanka onmany regional and international issues,saying the two countries have alwaysbacked each other’s stances in theinternational arena.“Following the implementation of theJCPOA and lift of sanctions, there aregood opportunities for promotion ofrelations between the two countries,especially in economic fields,” he said.Rouhani went on to deem violence andextremism as the main factor ofdisputes and tensions in manysocieties, inviting all groups, ethnicities,

tribes and followers of different religions towardtoleration, reconciliation and respectful dialoguewith one another.The President of Sri Lanka, for his part, stressedhis country’s firm commitment to expandingrelations with Iran in all areas, saying his countryattaches great significance to development of tieswith the Islamic Republic.“The two countries’ relations are based onfriendship and Iran has had a major participatoryrole in development plans in Sri Lanka,” he added.

(adaderana.lk) The Swiss government has saidthat the need to protect Sri Lankan Tamil asylumseekers with links to the Liberation Tigers of TamilEelam (LTTE) is decreasing with the improvementin the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.“Today we acknowledge that considerableprogress has been made in the area of humanrights, for example in the freedom of expressionand assembly. Therefore more restrictiveconditions now apply for recognizing the refugeestatus of journalists, human rights activists andopposition politicians. And the need to protectthose with a link to the vanquished Liberation

Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), is decreasing,” theSwiss website swissinfo.ch quotes the StateSecretariat for Migration (SEM) as saying.However, the Swiss authorities still see “somegaps” in the human rights situation in Sri Lankaand therefore, each application for political asylumwill be examined separately to see whether or notthere is a case for admission.In response to concerns expressed by the Swissand Tamil human rights lobbies that those who getback to Sri Lanka will be tortured and jailed, SEMsaid that no one who will be tortured will be sentback.

Northern GovernorCooray gets

distinction in Tamil(sundaytimes.lk) It was tuition time again forthe one-time school teacher who became theGovernor of the Northern Province.Reginold Cooray, somewhat fluent in Tamilhad begun learning advanced Tamil during hisoff hours in Jaffna. The result – he delivered aspeech in impeccable Tamil at Neerveli aftercommissioning an electricity plant. GovernorCooray was in for praise by civilians in thearea.

(sundaytimes.lk) Several sitting MPs and someformer MPs have had bills presented to thelegislature to incorporate as Acts of Parliamentfoundations set up in their names.The bills presented in recent months are for theincorporation of foundations such as the S. B.Nawinna Foundation, Sisira Jayakody SiyapathaFoundation, Rajitha Senaratne Foundation,Arundika Fernando Relief Services and GodfreyFernando Memorial Foundation, HizbullahFoundation, Susantha Punchinilame Foundation,

Roshan Ranasinghe Janasahana Foundation andthe Sujeewa Senasinghe Foundation.There are also bills pending to set up foundationsin the name of two late MPs — Bertie PremalalDissanayaka and M.K.D.S. Gunawardena.The objectives of all the foundations are welfareactivities for people of their respective electoratesbut once approved by Parliament they are alsoallowed to raise funds and engage in otheractivities.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhanioffers to assist Sri Lanka

Many MPs operate on foundations

Switzerland sees decreasing need to protectasylum seekers with LTTE links

(island.lk) UN High Commissioner for RefugeesFilipo Grandi, has said the UNHCR will continueto facilitate the return of those Sri Lankanswanting to return and provide solutions forinternally displaced people.The High Commissioner made this observation,in response to the national statement of SriLanka delivered by Sri Lanka’s PermanentRepresentative to the UN in Geneva RavinathaAryasinha, at the 67th Session of the ExecutiveCommittee of the UNHCR, held in Geneva lastweek.Ambassador Aryasinha said: "As you areaware, during the last 30 years or so, due to theinternal armed conflict in Sri Lanka, and othersocial, economic and political reasons, many ofour people left thecountry. TheGovernment,under theleadership ofPresidentMaithripalaSirisena and PrimeMinister RanilWickremesinghehas taken steps, since January 2015, to createsafe, secure and conducive conditions for theirreturn.As of September, 582 Sri Lankan refugees (231families) have returned to the country duringthis year, 2016, under UNHCR’s facilitatedVoluntary Repatriation Programme. TheGovernment of Sri Lanka works closely with theUNHCR in this process, and is pleased thatthere is an increased interest in Sri Lankanrefugees to return to the country, and the rate ofreturn is higher than that of 2015.Sri Lanka recognises refugee returns asvulnerable individuals who require governmentassistance for re-integration, and as such theGovernment provides assistance to returningrefugees, especially in the sectors of livelihoodsand housing in addition to the re-integrationgrant and non-food relief assistance provided bythe UNHCR. A National Steering Committee onRefugee Returnees has also been established

enabling those involved in the refugee returneeprocess to discuss challenges, find solutionsand have regular follow-up.Due to the conflict that prevailed, Sri Lanka isstill grappling with issues related to theInternally Displaced. However, the Governmentis firm in its commitment to make all efforts toensure the resettlement of the families who arestill in welfare camps. It is an importantcomponent of the reconciliation and peacebuilding efforts of the Government.On 16 August 2016, the Cabinet of Ministers’approved the "National Policy on DurableSolutions for Conflict-Affected Displacement"drafted through a wide consultative process withUNHCR assistance as well. The national policy,

while identifyingthe majorobstacles todurable solutions,also provides forinstitutionalmechanismsincluding atnational, provincialand local

government levels to coordinate and respond tothem, as well as a mechanism for monitoringimplementation. In addition to the needs of theInternally Displaced Persons, the policy alsolooks into the re-integration of returning SriLankan refugees. We appreciate the assistanceprovided by the UN, in particular the UNHCR,for drafting this Policy.The Government is assisted in the resettlementprocess by the UN and other developmentpartners, yet, we require further assistance forthe displaced in our country and we hope thatthe international community will be forthcomingin this regard. The UNHCR, in particular hasbeen providing assistance in the sectors of:livelihoods; land, housing and property; shelterand protection monitoring. Since Sri Lankabegan accessing the UN Peace building Fund(IRF), the UNHCR together with UNICEFassisted more than 2000 families by providingtransitional shelter, water and sanitation

assistance, protection monitoring as well asmine risk education.As per the statistics available, Sri Lanka isalso a country of destination for people whohave been displaced in neighbouringcountries. Though the Government of SriLanka is not a party to the UN Conventionon Refugees, Sri Lanka remains committedto work in coordination and cooperationwith the UNHCR to address issuespertaining to asylum seekers in accordancewith international norms".

UNHCR pledges to continue to workwith Sri Lanka

By Maheesha Mudugamuwa(island.lk) Constitutional expert andParliamentarian Dr Jayampathy Wickremeratneyesterday requested all political parties in thecountry to be flexible and help the governmentdraft a new constitution.He told a media briefing in Colombo thatconstitutional reforms were not for the benefit ofa single person; it was for all thepeople.Dr Wickremeratne said the previoustwo constitutions had been introducedfor the benefit of the United Front andUNP respectively. But, at present sincethe UNP and SLFP were in power itwas possible to make a newConstitution beneficial to the country.At present a new constitution had notyet been drafted or not even a singleprovision made, he said, noting that thedevolution of power and electoralsystem were being discussed.Dr Wickremaratne, who is also amember of the Steering Committee of theConstitutional Assembly and the chairman of thecommittee that provides technical support to theConstitutional Assembly to draft the newConstitution, said that the need was for a newconstitution and not amending the existing one.The present Constitution was based on anexecutive presidential system and already it washaving problems because the Parliament had tocontend with provincial councils.Therefore, a new constitution was a must toabolish the executive presidency, DrWickremeratne added.Commenting on the constitutional provisions onreligion, he noted that Sri Lanka had no state

religion but Buddhism had been given theforemost place while the rights of other religionswere guaranteed. Therefore, there was no needof changing the provision, he added.Dr Wickremeratne stressed that the newconstitution should provide a longlasting solutionto the ethnic issue and a new electoral systemshould be introduced. Abolishing of executive

presidency was one of the main tasksof the new constitution while theindependence of the judiciary shouldalso be ensured, he noted.New fundamental rights provisions inthe new Constitution should includechildren’ rights, women’s rights, social,economic and cultural rights andenvironmental rights, the constitutionalexpert said.Referring to the TNA’s call for mergingthe Northern and Eastern Provincesthrough a new Constitution, Dr.Wickremeratne stressed that thedecision of merging two provinces or

states should be taken by the people of thoseprovinces.The Steering Committee would present a reporton constitutional reforms to Parliament byNovember but it was impossible to set adeadline for the drafting of a new constitution,he said.Dr Wickremeratne noted that he was of theopinion that the drafting of a new constitutionshould not be delayed and also it should not bedone in a hurry.Referring to the position of the President in thenew constitution, he said the President shouldbe the ceremonial head of the state with limitedpowers and appointed by an electoral college.

Constitutional expert calls forbrand new Constitution,

rejects tinkering with existing one


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(colombogazette.com) The United Nations SpecialRapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák-Ndiaye,commenced an official visit to Sri Lanka today, theForeign Ministry said.Rita Izsák-Ndiaye will be in Sri Lanka till October20 to assess the current situation of national orethnic, religious and linguistic minorities in thecountry.At the commencement of her visit the UN SpecialRapporteur had talks with Foreign MinisterMangala Samaraweera, the Foreign Ministryadded.“Experience has shown that the recognition andpromotion of minority rights are critical, if notrequisite, in achieving long-lasting peace andreconciliation, particularly in countries such as SriLanka that were once divided by ethnic conflicts,”noted the independent expert tasked by the UNHuman Rights Council to monitor, report andadvise in the field of minority rights globally,” Izsák-Ndiaye said in a press statement ahead of hervisit.She said that considering the long-standinggrievances that were at the roots of a 25-year civilwar in Sri Lanka, any efforts towards accountabilityand reconciliation must include a carefulexamination of the extent to which the rights ofminorities are protected and promoted in thecountry.During her ten-day mission, the human rightsexpert will be in Colombo as well as other

locations in the Northern, North Central, Easternand Central Provinces to meet with minoritycommunities to hear directly from them about theirissues and concerns.The Special Rapporteur will also meet with a widerange of other stakeholders, including Stateauthorities, the National Human RightsCommission and civil society actors.Ms Izsák-Ndiaye said her visit is intended to assistthe government and the Sri Lankan society atlarge in identifying challenges and solutions, aswell as sharing experiences at this critical time forSri Lanka.The Special Rapporteur will present her full reporton the mission to the UN Human Rights Council inMarch 2017. (Colombo Gazette)

UN Rapporteur on minority issuesbegins Sri Lanka visit

(ft.lk) President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursdayinvited politicians who do not contribute to thedevelopment of the country but make falseallegations to meet him and point out if there areany flaws in the Government’s programs.Addressing a function organised to launch theMinipe Left Bank Canal Development Project toreconstruct the left bank of Hasalalka Minipe Ela inMahiyangana, the President said some politicianswere making accusations that the Governmentwas splitting the country and depriving the placegiven to Buddhism in the Constitution and someopposition politicians claimed that that the countrywas being betrayed to India and theUnited States and troops were beingwithdrawn from the north.He invited those critics to meet himand point out where such flawsexisted and said that as aGovernment they were engaged inthe process of making the country amodel to the world.The renovations to the left bank of the Minipe Elawill be carried out with the aim of providing waterto the farming community in Minipe. The project isbeing implemented in affiliation with the Mahaweliwater protection investment program to meet thedrinking water needs of the people who areexperiencing water shortages and also to supplywater for cultivation in both seasons.The Government is planning to transfer MahaweliWater to North western, North Central andNorthern Provinces under the Mahaweli WaterSecurity Investment Program with the aim of

maximising the productivity of Mahaweli RiverBasin water resources.The project is funded by the Asian DevelopmentBank in three tranches. The ADB has agreed toprovide $ 453 million through three tranches forthe implementation of this program for threeprojects – Upper Elahera Canal Project, NorthWestern Province Canal Project, and Minipe LeftBank Canal Rehabilitation Project.Under the first stage of the project launchedyesterday, reconstruction of 74 kilometers of theMinipe Left Bank will be carried out at anestimated cost of Rs. 9 billion. The Government

has allocated Rs. 26 billion for thereconstruction of the Minipe Elabank, which takes place after 30years. The project will be completedby 2020 in three stages.The Minipe Left Bank CanalDevelopment project plans to collectthe surplus water received from theMoragahakanda and Kaluganga

Reservoirs and the nearby basins for distributionin the North Central and Northwestern Provinces.The Mahaweli Water Security Institute which hasbeen set up under Mahaweli Development andEnvironmental Ministry will implement the project.After the completion of the project, 7,500 hectaresof Minipe Farmer Settlement will get water foragriculture with no shortage.The farmers in Minipe and Hasalaka were briefedabout the renovations during the past few daysunder the patronage of Deputy Minister AnuradhaJayaratne.

(asianmirror.lk) The Tamil National Alliance (TNA),fears that the proposed new law to replace thedraconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) maywell be old wine in a new bottle withmost of the controversial provisionsbeing retained, the New Indian Expresssaid.“It may even be worse than the PTAgoing by the influence of the SecurityEstablishment on government’sthinking on these matters,” TNA’sspokesman and MP, M.A.Sumanthiran,told the newspaper on Sunday.“The Law Commission in its report tothe government on replacing the PTA hadapparently given suggestions which would haveput the new law in line with international bestpractices. But I hear that the government

consulted the Security Establishment and rejectedthe commission’s suggestions.”“When I raised this issue in parliament in October

4, neither the Justice Minister nor anyother minister reacted, though the JusticeMinister reacted to my remarks on theamendments to the Criminal ProcedureCode,” Sumanthiran said.“This despite my warning the governmentthat Sri Lanka will not get the EuropeanUnion’s trade concessions under theGeneral System of Preferences if itviolates the UN Human RightsCommission’s resolution of October 1,

2015 which had clearly said that PTA has to bereplaced with a law in tune with international bestpractices,” the MPsaid.Sri Lanka had jointly sponsored the UNHRCresolution along with the US.The Tamil MP, who is also a Supreme Courtlawyer, fears that the new law will retainobjectionable features of the PTA like preventivedetention for indefinite periods and legalacceptance of “confessions” made to policeofficers in the first instance.In the case of amendments to the CriminalProcedure Code, Justice Minister WijeyadasaRajapakshe rejected Sumanthiran’s demand toallow a detainee to get legal assistance when hisfirst statement is recorded. Rajapakshe citedobjections from the Security Establishment to anykind of legal assistance at that stage and said thattheir views could not be overlooked.Unconvinced, Sumanthiran approached PrimeMinister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who got theintroduction of the Cr.PC amendment billpostponed to allow consideration of the TNA’sobjections.

(asianmirror.lk) It is reported that NorthernProvince Chief Minister is to sign a Memorandumof understanding with Kingston borough withoutthe approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.In an interview with The Hindu in April 2016,Northern Province Chief Minister C. V.Wigneswaran said the Central government did notdiscuss the details of its housing project for theNorthern and Eastern Provinces with the provincialadministration and people’srepresentatives in the North. ChiefMinister was answering thequestion why he did not inviteindustrialists to set up housingunits in the province and offerincentives, Chief MinisterWigneswaran narrated anotherincident. He said a proposal tohave a twinning programme involving Jaffna townand Kingston and Surbiton borough of the U.K. didnot even get a response from Foreign MinisterMangala Samaraweera.According to the website ‘This is Our TownKingston’, the borough is to be twinned with Jaffnain a celebratory signing ceremony on 18 October2016. The ceremony to be take place in the

Council Chamber at Kingston Guildhall. OfficialKingston Council website, Chief Minister, willdeliver a keynote speech to an audience ofdignitaries and special guests in Queen AnneSuite, Kingston which will broadcast live.Kingston has approximately 12,000 Tamils livingin the borough and is one of the largest andfastest growing local communities. Tamil is nowKingston’s second language.

Councilor Kevin Davis, Leader ofKingston Council, said: “The RoyalBorough of Kingston upon Thameshas a rich history of communitycohesion. Our twinning with Jaffnacelebrates our large local Tamilcommunity and recognizes theimportance it plays in the borough.Kingston has a great track record

of twinning to share ideas with other towns on thebest approach to tackling our shared challenges.We’re delighted to welcome Hon. Justice C.V.Wigneswaran to Kingston and are excited to hearhim speak at this historic event.”Kingston is also twinned with Oldenburg inGermany and Gwanak-Gu in Seoul, South Korea.

President invites critics to point out Govt. flawsinstead of making false allegations

New Anti-corruption Law 'Same WineIn New Bottle' Says Sumanthiran

Suspicions Raised On Wigneswaran'sDeal With Kingston

Government Likely ToPostpone LG Election

To Second Half Of 2017(asianmirror.lk) The Local Government Election islikely to be postponed beyond June 2017, StateMinister of Finance Lakshman Yapa Abeywardenasaid yesterday.He made this observation at a meeting inHakmana, Matara District.Abeywardena said that the delimitation processhas not been done and it will take a few moremonths to complete it.The 'Joint Opposition' has said that it will launch anew movement when the election has been called.It is accusing the government of buying timebecause the JO will sweep the local election.


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Development policy loan co-financed withWorld Bank to be primarily implemented byPM’s ministry Additional 23,000 Yen forAnuradhapura water supply project(ft.lk) The Government and the Japan InternationalCooperation Agency (JICA) signed a loanagreement for JPY 10,000 million, equivalent toapproximately Rs. 14.45 billion, the organisationsaid yesterday.The signing of the loan agreement took placebetween Deputy Secretary of the Treasury of theMinistry of FinanceChandra Ekanayakeand JICA VicePresident HidetoshiIrigaki at the FinanceMinistry.

The DevelopmentPolicy Loan (PrivateSector Development,GovernanceImprovement andFiscal Consolidation),which is co-financed bythe World Bank, aims to provide support to thepolicy and institutional reforms of the Sri LankanGovernment with a focus on reducing obstacles toprivate sector competitiveness, establishing moretransparent and well-managed public institutionsand improving the Government’s fiscalsustainability. This is expected to furtherstrengthen economic and industrialcompetitiveness and thereby contribute to SriLanka’s sustainable economic growth.“The Government of Sri Lanka has prioritised apackage of policy and institutional reformsincluding efforts to repeal excessive tax incentiveson the revenue front, and reducing expenditure byimproving transparency and efficiency in the

budget process on the expenditure front. Effortsalso include measures to attract foreign directinvestments for the private sector to reach its fullpotential,” JICA said in a press release.The Ministry of National Policies and EconomicAffairs, headed by Prime Minister RanilWickremesinghe, will be the ministry responsiblefor the overall implementation of this program incooperation with the related agencies, includingthe Ministry of Development Strategies andInternational Trade, the Ministry of Finance, the

Ministry ofParliamentary Reformsand Mass Media, theAuditor General’sDepartment, the Boardof Investment and theCentral Bank of SriLanka.JICA’s loan is providedunder concessionalterms with an annualinterest rate of 1.4%and a 25-yearrepayment period.

JICA will continue to provide support for thesustainable economic growth of Sri Lanka byutilising technical cooperation, concessional loansand grants.In addition, JICA also provided 23,137 Yen for theAnuradhapura North Water Supply Project (Phase2) to improve the water supply facilities and switchthe water source from groundwater to safe surfacewater, improving the access of area residents tosafe drinking water.The Phase 2 of this project is to supplement andbroaden the project implementation area of thePhase 1, which is now ongoing with the loanamounting to Japanese Yen 5,166 millionextended in March 2013.

(ft.lk) Megapolis and Western DevelopmentMinister Champika Ranawaka yesterday pledgedswift development for Kandy and its suburbs underthe new Kandy urban development program aftersigning the bilateral ‘Record of Discussion’ for the

project.The agreement was signed by Ministry ofMegapolis and Western Development SecretaryNihal Rupasinghe and Urban DevelopmentAuthority (UDA) Chairman Dr. Jagath Munasinghe

in the presence of Minister of Megapolis andWestern Development Champika Ranawakafor the Sri Lankan side and a seniorrepresentative of the Sri Lankan office of theJapan International Cooperation Agency(JICA), Toru Kobayakawa, for the Japaneseside.“Sporadic development has lowered thestandard of life for those in Kandy. Currently,Kandy has the highest air pollution andcongestion. But we aim to change all that. Thiscity will become a multipurpose transport hub,”Ranwaka said at the event.Ranawaka also pointed out that Kandy would

(Contd: on P21)

JICA Vice President Hidetoshi Irigaki and Treasury DeputySecretary Chandra Ekanayake signing the loan

(ft.lk) Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau will behosting a number of road shows for 2016, whichwill be a great opportunity for both local andinternational travel agents.The Roadshows will be held in Manchester,Birmingham and London, bringing Sri Lanka’sprestige and glory as a popular tourist destination,as well as the latest news and selling tips for thisincreasingly popular destination to the travel trade.These road shows will be held in parallel to theWorld Travel Market, (WTM) which is one of theleading global events in the Travel and TourismTrade, attracting more than 35,000 visitors , 5000exhibitors and around 2000 travel agents ,including 200 tour operators , in which Sri Lankawill also be a participant. Sri Lanka Tourismrecorded a total of 1.7 million arrivals in 2015, anincrease of 17.8 % over 2014. UK is the thirdlargest source market behind India and China with161,845 visitors in 2015, 12.3 % up on 2014. TheUK residents will have a rare chance of exploringthe cultural wonder of Sri Lanka.‘’The road show was developed to strengthen

the relations with the UK travel trade , and showtravel agents the impressive range of experiencesthat Sri Lanka has to offer,” said P. M Withana,Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.The road show will further provide knowledge toagents for them to get a better idea of thedestination and its scenic beauty and historicplaces, with so much to explore. Agents will beable to understand the importance of Sri Lanka asa global destination its uniqueness as an island,the diversity and also the latest destinationinformation, selling tips and also having theopportunity of meeting over 25 local suppliers,including DMC’s , hotels and domestic airlines.The participants will also experience a taste ofthis magical destination with a traditional teaceremony with candle lighting and indulge indelicious Sri Lankan cuisine. They will also havea rare chance of winning two fantastic 7 nightholidays for two people, which of course will be anice surprise. Sri Lanka Tourism has invited all theTrade Media in these cities to participate in thisevent.

By Sunimalee Dias(sundaytimes.lk) The controversial WeliamunaReport which accused SriLankan Airlines topofficials and employees of financialmisappropriation has been dismissed by theairline’s chief Ajith Dias.Speaking to the Sunday Times on the sidelinesof a media briefing, the SriLankan Airlineschairman said there was “no financialmisappropriation” with regard to the 15 personsmentioned in the Weliamuna report.Some of those against whom allegations weremade are the former Chairman NishanthaWickremesinghe, former CEO KapilaChandrasena, cabin crew member Chathurika J.Muhandiram, the airline’s New Yorkrepresentative Dilan Ariyawansa, senior cabincrew member Senanaya Senanayaka, HumanResources Head Pradeepa Kekulawala, Security

chief Piyadi Chandrawansa, Finance HeadYasantha Dissanayaka and Chief OperationsOfficer Druvi Perera.The Weliamuna report had also referred toUdayanga Weeratunga, Sri Lanka’s formerAmbassador to Russia. He was accuse ofinfluencing the airline’s operations and pickingGeneral Sales Agents in Russia.Mr. Dias said four current directors had beenappointed to a committee to look into thefindings of the report.Following this investigation carried out internallyby the airline it had been found that there was“no financial misappropriation” as stated in thereport prepared following an investigations bylawyer and human rights activist J.C.Weliamuna.Mr. Dias said the findings by the four directorswere submitted to the committee established by

the Prime Minister’s office and thiscommittee was said to have been satisfied“with our findings”.Mr. Dias while admitting that there were“certain things we couldn’t find” wasapparently irritated by the persistentquestioning and ended it by saying, “I don’tknow why people are harping on this.”During the media briefing, he noted that theWeliamuna report was based on whatpeople said. Mr. Dias said they had studiedthe report and made a some organisationalchanges on the structure and also took insome senior management executives.Mr. Weliamuna, a former chairman ofTransparency International Sri Lanka, saidthose responsible for the decision topurchase four Airbus A350 super-luxuryaircraft at an inflated price should pay forthis dreadful crime.“There is no question that the people whotook this decision (should) be heldaccountable in terms of criminal law,” hesaid at a good governance meeting inColombo on Wednesday.Apart from Mr. Dias, the airline’s currentboard comprises Rakitha Jayawardena,Sunil Peiris, Joseph. M.S. Brito, MahindaHaradasa, R. Chanaka De Silva, NiranjanDe Silva Deva Aditya and Harendra K.Balapatabendi.

BIA Development Project(sundaytimes.lk) Annualpassenger handling capacity atthe Bandaranaike InternationalAirport (BIA) is expected toincrease from its current 6 millionto 15 million upon completion ofthe BIA Development Project,according to Airport & AviationServices (Sri Lanka) Ltd (AASL).Accordingly,the hourly runwaycapacity will be 35 aircraftmovements, up from the present25 movements.The scope of the project consistsof construction of a new multi-levelterminal building with a floor areaof 180,000 sq.metres. This‘Terminal 2’ will have ARRIVALSand DEPARTURES separatedvertically and will consist of twopier buildings, Pier 2 and Pier 3. The new terminalis designed for the provision of barrier free accesswith many environmental-friendly initiatives,according to AASL.Terminal 2 is expected to be available forcommercial operations by 2020. Meanwhile, theAASL has planned major upgrades for the existingTerminal 1 to accommodate forecast traffic until2020.Facilities such as the Departure Checking and theDeparture Customs areas have already beenexpanded as part of improvements to Terminal 1,while the ARRIVAL and DEPARTURE walkways,as well as the shopping areas in the walkways arebeing refurbished.Further planned improvements include anelectronic mall, modification of the existingImmigration area and Checking area expansionwith upgrading of Baggage Handling systemMeanwhile, the BIA’s only runway is also set toundergo much needed improvements.Constructed in the mid ’80s, the runway has had950,000 aircraft operations since commencing

operations. The runway had been designed tomeet the operational requirements of the Boeing747-400 which, at the time, was the mostdemanding aircraft in service.After opening to air traffic, no major rehabilitationwork had been carried out on the runway. TheInternational Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),during their audit observations, had noted crackson the runway surface. As such, it hasrecommended the overlaying of the runway toimprove the runway surface condition for the safeoperation of aircraft.Accordingly, the BIA runway improvement project,to be of 12-months duration, will commence soon.The project includes overlay of the existingrunway, parallel taxiway and connecting taxiways,design of new Rapid Exit Taxiways (RETs) andbypass taxiways, installation of new AirfieldGround Lighting (AGL) system and modification ofexisting apron.However, runway overlay work will be limited tothree months from January 5 to April 5, 2017.Work will be carried out during an eight-hourrunway closure from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm.

The new project will have ARRIVALS and DEPARTURESseparated vertically and will consist of two pier buildings,

Pier 2 and Pier 3. Pic by Amila Gamage

Govt. gets Rs. 14.45 b in Budgetsupport from JICA

SriLankan dismisses Weliamuna report

Passenger handling capacity to increasefrom 6m to 15m

Sri Lanka Tourism all set to participatein UK trade road show

SL-Japan sign key development plan for Kandy

by Ryhanna Salie(sundayobserver.lk) Colombo has a number ofrenowned clubs where members can spend a fewhours relaxing and engaging in conversation withtheir friends and guests. These date back to thecolonial era and still have that old world charm andambiance. Membership is often exclusive and onecan often find the cream of Colombo society atthese clubs.The Colombo Club, now located at the TajSamudra premises, is onesuch venue which has stoodthe test of time and manysocio-political upheavals. Thelocation of the Colombo Clubin the heart of Colombo isultra-convenient and there isplenty of free parking formembers and their guests.The history of Colombo Clubcan be traced back to 1871when Sri Lanka was still underBritish rule. The concept of theGentlemen’s Club originatedin Great Britain. During theBritish colonial era, planters,governors and businessmen did not have a placeto meet and relax. The Club became an ideal placefor them to meet after a hard day’s work and havea cool and refreshing drink. This concept prevailedin Britain and it was brought to Colombo by theBritish.

The first Colombo Club was located in the CrystalBuilding in Colombo. This era saw plenty of horseracing in Colombo and it was one of the maintopics discussed at the Clubs whose patrons werefans of the sport. At the beginning, the memberswere only British, and as recently as 1971 all theChairmen of the Colombo Club were British.Initially, the first Chairmen of the Colombo Clubwere British Governors of Ceylon. Planters fromNuwara Eliya were also given specialmemberships.The Colombo Club selects its members verycarefully. There are many well known businessmenwho have been refused membership. Evenmillionaire businessmen’s applications have beenrejected. Reggie Candappa was instrumental innegotiating with the Taj Samudra Hotel regardingthe re-location of the Club.(The Club is nowhoused within a wing of the hotel).Well known business personality HemakaAmarasuriya who is currently the Chairman of SriLanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) also did a lotof work for the Club. The membership process is

strictly by invitation only – one cannot walk in andapply for membership. Honorary life membershipsare offered to those who have renderedexceptional services to the Club. There arecorporate members as well. Corporates such asJohn Keells and Richard Peiris have a largenumber of members.Women were not allowed to be members of theclub in the past, and Chloe De Soysa was the firstwoman to become a member in 1995, just 21

years ago. The Colombo Clubhas six honorary life members– Charitha De Silva, SohliCaptain, James Mather, DavidBlacker, Reggie Abeyweeraand Scott Dirckze.In the past, the dress codewas very strict and all themale members were expectedto wear a suit. However,because of the warm weatherin Sri Lanka it was difficult formost members to wear suits,and they are now allowed towear shirt and tie as well ascasual wear. Members and

guests are not allowed to come in T-shirts withoutcollars and shorts. Women are expected to wearSaris for functionsand luncheonmeetings.

The currentChairman of theColombo Club,Segu Nagendra,was a formerSenior Director ofCarsonCumberbatchPLC and severalof its Subsidiariesand AssociateCompanies. He isa Senior Directorand Consultant ofCML – MTDConstruction Ltd.He was also thePast President ofSkal InternationalColombo(International Association of Travel and TourismProfessionals) and the Past Secretary of SkalInternational Asian Area Region and PastPresident of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, Sri

Lanka Chapter. Nagendra is a Companion of theChartered Management Institute, UK, Master ofBusiness Administration, UK and Fellow of the

Institute of CertifiedProfessionalsManagers, SriLanka. All the pastChairmen of theClub have been wellqualified individuals.During Nagendra’stenure as Chairman,the Colombo Clubwas refurbishedcompletely and anew elevator wasbuilt. An additionalBoard Room wasalso built. TheConstitution and theRules and By Lawsof the Colombo Clubare now beingamended. TheColombo Club is notlooking at profitmaking and there

are no stake holders. They do not need to giveshares or dividends. The main objective is toprovide facilities to the Members and it is regardedas a privilege to be a member of the Colombo

Club. There are currently 498 members.There are many advantages of being a member ofthe Colombo Club. It is a meeting point forprominent people who have to make importantdecisions and require privacy. Being located withina five star hotel also has many advantages. Forexample, the Members can dine at the restaurantsat the Taj Samudra hotel with a 10% discount.Members who had joined the Club prior to 2011can use the hotel gym and swimming pool at noextra cost and new members get a discount.The club has arrangements with 52 reciprocalclubs throughout the world. Members of theColombo Club can make use of the facilities inother clubs in the United Kingdom, Australia, India,U.S.A, Pakistan, Canadaetc. The club has luncheonmeetings every two monthsand prominent personalitiessuch as Ambassadors andChairmen of companies areinvited to speak.

Every year there are four orfive theme nights whereIndian, Chinese and SriLankan food is served.Members can have a bottlebank where they can bringtheir own liquor and store itthere for consumption withinthe stipulated permissiblehours except on Poya Days.They can also use theirwines when having dinner.The Colombo Club launcheda book on the history of theclub on 23 September at theUpper Crystal Room of theTaj Samudra hotel. Thebook tells about theillustrious history of thisexclusive Club that issynonymous with Colombo’ssocial vibes.

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The BRISLA (British Sri Lankan Association)Awards saw the brightest stars of the British SriLankan community come together to celebratetheir peers' achievements at a fabulous awardsevening.Lord's CricketGround was home toover 150 attendeesat last week's eventheld on Saturday 8thOctober 2016 for thesecond year runningand featured guestspeaker, DirectorSteven Elworthyfrom the EnglandCricket Board andSir Michael Wilshaw,Head of OFSTED.The BRISLA Awardsare designed to celebrate and reward thewonderful efforts of those who strive to improvesociety in Sri Lanka and Britain. The sevencategories recognisedat the event were: Arts& Media, Contribution toSport, DistinguishedServices to InterfaithRelations, ExceptionalServices to SocialWelfare, Financial &Legal, Health &Education andOutstandingAchievement in Science& Technology.Dr Zimar Sivardeen who

is chairman of the British SriLankan Association (BRISLA) hasbeen actively involved in the not-for-profit organisation since its

foundation. The charitywas formed to eradicatepoverty, improveeducation and healthand promoteenvironmentalawareness within bothSri Lanka and Britainthrough its charitablework and relies on thehard work of those whoattended the event lastnight. The Awards wasone small way to say abig thank you for theirdedication.

Dr Sivardeen says: “What afantastic evening! It was such anhonour to be in the presence of so many

inspiring people who each had an interestingstory to share. It was a challenge to find ourwinners, as the standard was so high, so wethank everyone for taking part. In our minds,everyone who entered is a winner.”Dr Sivardeen said in his speech to thedistinguished guests, “The relationship betweenthe UK and Sri Lanka is characterized bytraditional warmth and cordiality, based oncommon interests, shared history and culturaltraditions. In the UK, we are complimented bythe presence of over 200,000 people with SriLankan ethnicities. The British Sri Lankanshave excelled in various areas of social andeconomic life forming a living bridge betweenthe two countries. The British Sri LankanAssociation is advocating a society, which is

tolerant and inclusive. A state can only be asstrong as the fabric of thesociety it represents. It isthis difference in culturaltraditions and thesearching for similaritieswithin it that leads togreater respect andunderstanding andacceptance. It is importantto explore the richness ofhuman identities ratherthan placing people rigidlyin separate categories. Weneed religious links, ofcourse, but there shouldbe no way of dividing

people in our communities.”The successful winners on the night were:Winner for Arts & Media category - Mr.Chandana WickramasingheWinner for Contribution to Sport category - Mr.Saravanamuthu Mylvaganam MBEWinner for Distinguished Service to InterfaithRelations category - Venerable GalayayePiyadassi MBEWinner for Exceptional Services to SocialWelfare category - Dr. Ananda ThevathasanWinner for Financial & Legal category - AswiniWeeraratne QCWinner for Health & Education category - Dr.Dhammika PereraWinner for Outstanding Achievement in Science

& Technology category - Prof. I.M. DharmadasaThe Question and Answer session hosted by MrMark Jones with Sir Michael Wilshaw and MrSteve Elworthy revealed their internationalconnection to Sri Lanka.The evening came to a close with an impressiveperformance by comedian Mr. Ian Richards,King Rat 2016, Grand Order of Water Rats.The event raised over £2000 for Their FutureToday, a local charity whose aims are to giveback to every forgotten child their rights theirright to a home, their right to education, theirright to a life by reuniting families in Sri Lanka.

Photography by Prasad Fernando

COMMUNITY HEROES SHINE AT ANNUAL BRISLA AWARDS 2016

BRISLA Executive Committee with Mrs Lynn Stanier.

Dr. Zimar Sivardeen speakingto TV Channel presenter

Sir. Michael Wilshaw,Head of OFSTED.

Mr. Ian Richards,comedian.

Mrs. Lynn Stanier,CEO - Their Future Today.

Mr. Ian Richards presenting toVenerable Galayaye Piyadassi MBE.

Ms. Charmaine Jayatilleke MBEpresenting to Dr. Ananda Thevathasan.

Mr. Mohamed Ali, CEO Islam Channelpresenting to Ms. Victoria Hatton on behalf

of Mr. Chandana Wickramasinghe.Mr Steve Elworthy presenting to

Mr. Saravanamuthu Mylvaganam MBE.

Colonel Geoffrey Godbold, DeputyLord Lieutenant presenting to

Mrs. Ajantha Tennakoon on behalfof Aswini Weeratne QC.

Sir Michael Wilshaw presenting toDr Shirani Rajapaksa on behalf

of Dr. Dhammika Perera.

Mr. Manoj Warnapala, Sri Lankan HighCommission presenting to Prof. I.M. Dharmadasa.

Mr. Mark Jones,Master of Ceremonies.

The Kingswood College Kandy oldboy's union UK branch proudlypresents their inaugural Dinner dance"Kings Knight" on 12th November2016 at Thistle Hotel Heathrow. Thisevent is taking place parallelwith the many of the eventsorganised by its mother unionto celebrate college's 125thanniversary.Kingswood College is wellknown for its unique traditionsfounded by Mr L.E.Blazeveteran educator, historianand an author, only with 11 studentson 4th May 1891 at a site on pavilionstreet Kandy. The school later becameone of the prominent schools in Sri

Lanka. Currently accommodating over3500 pupil and 200 teaching staff. Theschool famous for its role inintroducing Rugby to schools in SriLanka, Mr Blaze coined the phrase

"gentlemen of Kingswood" andbecame iconic to the school.Not only Rugby, the schoolwas one of the first fiveschools to start a cadet bandand first school to start a trafficwarden system.The Kingswood College OBUUK has started with very few

number of members and graduallyexpanded its size. The unionmanaged to have some significantachievements in several major Sri

Lankan events such as Sri Lankantouch rugby and cricket festivals andalso playing a major roles inorganising committees as permanentmembers.'Exceed' provides live music on theday and the Kingswood raffle will betaking place on the day of the dinnerdance. First two prizes will be a returnticket to Sri Lanka. Tickets are nowavailable from any of the OBUmembers.ContactsPrasad- 07961796481Vipula- 07828940731Dayan-07572507333

SEE PAGE 29

Kings Knight

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;drldjla wm foi

n,d isákq olakg

,eìKs'

—ri˜

—ri˜


,xvkh fi,jqKq ta bßod yekaoEj'''''


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Devians got together recently to celebrate the25 the Anniversary of its' Alumnae group in the UKDevi Balika PPA (UK). They invited friends andwell-wishers to join them to “High Tea” inBrentwood, Essex, in the beautiful gardenof Dr Harshi Boralessa, the currentPresident.The weather, was perfect on a beautifulsummers' day, the guests were treated toan eveningof fun, wonderful cuisine and “Ceylon” tea.The repertoire of music providedthroughout the afternoon by the talentedduo, Drs Kusum & Gnanes Subasinghemade this an absolutely perfect event. Kusum analumnus of Devi Balika, together with Gnanesincluded and engaged with a diverse group of

over 75 guests, and had them singing along, withgusto followed by Dancing on the lawn with gayabandon to Baila.Mrs Indrani Peries, was invited to conduct the

raffle draw. This was specially nostalgic asIndrani is not only one of the first pupils, ofDevi Balika 62 years ago, she is also thefirst lawyer produced by Devi Balika, apast President, and also, remains apassionate member of the Association.It was an afternoon to remember, andthanks to the happy and generous guests,we raised substantial funds to boost ourongoing Bursaries programme which

assists Devi undergraduates to achieve to theirfull potential.By Karu Somasiri

Devi Balika PPA (UK) - Silver Jubilee


SL-Japanfrom P14undergo a significant social and economic change oncethe proposed Colombo-Kandy highway was completedand it was important to protect historic landmarks as wellas the way of life of the Kandyan people.The UDA and JICA are to commence a technicalcooperation project to formulate the urban developmentvision and detailed development plans aimed towards theobjective of enhancing the value and attractiveness ofKandy as a historic and touristic city, and realising itsunique socioeconomic potential while preserving itsancient heritage which is sacred to Buddhists around theworld.Through the project, JICA will support the UDA to preparethe urban development vision for the Kandy metropolitanarea, with detailed urban plans including urban designguidelines and regulations to protect and sustain the

heritage city area and recommend sustainable systemsand a strategic investment proposal to implement thedevelopment plans.“Kandy has a unique heritage and history which peoplefrom around the world gather to Sri Lanka to experience.More importantly, Kandy is a city very close to the heartof Sri Lankan people, for its significance to Buddhists aswell as other religions, and its importance in history asthe last ancient kingdom. We look forward to sharing theJapanese experiences and lessons in developing suchancient cities in Japan, to help develop the true potentialof Kandy. The key to successful development planning ismutual consultation and consensus-building with themany stakeholders, and we will make every effort tosupport the UDA to do so in implementing the project,”JICA Sri Lanka Office Chief Representative KiyoshiAmada said.JICA is also financing the ongoing Kandy City WasteWater Management Project.N

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BGKT Buddhist Group of Kendal (Theravada)celebrated the 25th anniversary of its founding inSeptember 1991 at a retreat on 25th September atFellside Centre Kendal led by Venerable PidivillePiyatissa Head of Ketumati Buddhist ViharaManchester and Venerable UdunuwaraIndarathana. The Theravada School of Buddhismis the oldest school of Buddhism and is practicedin the five Theravada Buddhist countries of SriLanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.Lama Yeshe Rinpoche Abbot and Retreat Masterof Kagyu Samye Ling Monastery and TibetanCentre in Scotland sent a beautiful sentence onBuddhist traditions working together, which wasread out at the celebrations.Venerable Pidiville Piyatissa Maha Thera, Head ofKetumati Buddhist Vihara Manchester, has beenteaching and offering Precepts for BGKT since1999. Ketumati acquired a beautiful newMonastery in 2015 which has offered usopportunities to develop our Buddhist practice. Weassist by leading meditation at meditation retreats.Venerable Dr Balangoda Ananda MaitreyaMahanayaka Thera Aggamaha Pandita AbhidhajaMaharatthaguru DLitt DLitt one of the world's mostsenior Theravada Buddhist Monks and VenerableHenepola Gunaratana Maha Thera (aninternationally respected meditation master andauthor) agreed to become BGKT's spiritualadvisors.Many other senior Monks have visited BGKT atFellside Centre including a cave dwelling Monkfrom Sri Lanka. Venerable Medagama VajiragnanaMahanayaka Thera OBE the most senior SriLankan Monk in the UK visited in 2000. A collectionof books from the library of Ajahn PannyavaddhoThera ((1925 2004) the most senior western monkin Thailand) was donated to BGKT's library.

We have good relations with and are in regularcontact with other small Cumbrian BuddhistGroups. Special mention must be made of KeswickTheravada Buddhist Group with which we have runjoint meetings and retreats and who havesupported us since 1991.Some of our attendees became unable to attendmeetings because of family commitments. We allwished to find an ongoing way to continuepractising together. In 2008 CMDM Cumbria MoonDay Meditation started enabling attendees of theTheravada Buddhist Groups in Cumbria tomeditate at home from 7-9 pm on the four monthlymoon days.We led a meditation and gave a talk at theSakyadhita UK (International Association ofBuddhist Women) meeting at Fellside CentreKendal in 2009.We have a close relationship with Kendal TownCouncil. The Mayor of Kendal usually attends toBGKT's annual Vesak celebrations. Vesak,celebrated on the May full moon marks threeevents in the life of the Buddha: birth,enlightenment, and passing away. BGKT has ledthe prayers before a Kendal Town Council meeting,walked in the Mayor's Sunday Civic Procession anattended Mayor Making Ceremonies. CouncillorGwen Murfin, Mayor of Kendal requested that acelebration Pali Blessing Ceremony be conductedin the Mayor's Parlour in Kendal Town Hall in 2007,to celebrate Jacquetta Gomes's inclusion in BurkesLanded Gentry as a Contemporary Person ofDistinction.BGKT is represented on the South LakelandCommunity Recovery Group for the floods, and onSLEDP South Lakeland Equality and DiversityPartnership. BGKT ran a Pilot Project on faith withCFRS Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service at Kendal

Fire Station and produced the first acknowledgedfemale Buddhist Fire Chaplain in the world.Members have taken part in interfaith activities inSouth Lakeland. We attended the enthronement ofRt Rev James Newcombe as the Bishop ofCarlisle, at Carlisle Cathedral in 2009. BGKT hasspoken at several Conferences including theManchester Buddhist Convention.Introducing Buddhism by Venerable Dr BalangodaAnanda Maitreya Mahanayaka Thera AbhidhajaMaharatthaguru Aggamaha Pandita DLitt DLitt(1896-1998) and Jacquetta Gomes has beenpublished in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, UK, andUSA. BGKT's writings have been included in The

Chinese Buddhist Encyclopaedia and TheBuddhist elibrary and journals. We contributed toan article in the Spring 2016 issue of theinternationally respected New York based Buddhistjournal Tricycle (which is also celebrating its 25thanniversary).We hope the next 25 years will be as wonderful,beneficial and peaceful as the first. We are verygrateful to everyone who has supported us. Wefind it helpful to practise with people we have beenin contact with for over 20 years but are also veryhappy when new people join us.http://buddhistgroupofkendal.co.uk/


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BGKT Buddhist Group of Kendal (Theravada) 25th anniversary

Story and pictures by Mahil Wijesinghe(sundayobserver.lk) Having visited Rumassala, which wefeatured last week, we headed toward the coastal fishingtown of Weligama, through delightful seaside resorts. Theplacid bay of Weligama is located 30 kilometers fromGalle. The seascape is filled with ubiquitous stiltfishermen’s single poles with a cross bar to catch smallfish in chest-deep water on the beach. This is a visual

treat and one of themost photographedscenes in the world.Unfortunately, being aPoya day, we couldn’tsee even a singlefisherman and wereally missed the mostpicturesque sight onthe Weligama sandybeach.Though Weligama isseen as a drowsysmall sea town today,in colonial period itwas a highlyprosperous centre offoreign trade. The 16thcentury lace-makingcraft which wasintroduced byPortuguese stillremains in some partsof the coastal area of

Weligama. The only remnants of the colonial period inWeligama, I managed to spot was a few old buildings here

and there with tall columns with some lattice work.The magnificent ancient Kustarajagala archaeological siteis located within the hustle and bustle of the Weligamatown area in proximity to the Aggrabodhi Vihara off the oldColombo road. Urbanization has engulfed thesurrounding areas of Kustarajagala site which

is confined to crampedsmall plot of land today.The houses on everyside and Matara-Colombo railway line isjust behind the site. Ahuge playground lies infront of this sacred sitewhere children playcricket and stray cowsgraze here and there.Although the pace oftime has overtaken thissacred place, it stillretains its character as aplace of peace andtranquility.The Kustarajagala rockcut statue about 15 feetin height stands on an isolated rock.We got the feeling that time hasrushed past leaving the statueforgotten. Carved in a tombstone-

shaped niche in a large rock facing the east, folklore is theonly source that can shed some light on this figure’s past.

An intricately carved and elaborately dressedsplendid statue of Bodhisattva is set deep intothe rock. It lies in the shade of overhangingBo-tree. When I stepped in to the site, themorning rays of the sunlight were flickeringthrough the branches of the massive Bo-tree.

Perhaps, a huge rock boulder has been slicedin two to create this work. The other half liesjust opposite, wrapped within the roots of anancient Bo-tree. Since the statue was carvedout into the rock at a somewhat higherelevation, we can view it above the eye levelabout eight feet from the ground. Afterclimbing the opposite rock, we came up to eyelevel with the statue. From this point the wholestatue seems very different and every detailbecomes so clear. Then we realized themassive scale of the statue.Known as Kustaraja, the statue was createdbetween 7-8th century according to the noticeboard erected here by the Department ofArchaeology. There are various legendsassociated with the name and the construction

of this statue. The favorite among them seems to be that itis an image of an ancient king who suffered from anincurable skin disease. Legend has it that it was on thisspot that the king was cured of his sickness and it was he

who had made thestatue.The ancientchronicle recordsthat King AggrabodhiIV (667-683AD),suffered from anincurable diseaseand had got thissculpture madeunder his patronage.Since Aggrabodhi IVlived in Ruhuna for along time he mayindeed haveconstructed thisstatue.

Looking closely atthe details of this

rock heaven statue, we came across several features. Thestatue is heavily draped in elaborate

Incurable skin disease

Intricately carvedstatues

(Contd: on P22)

The tomb within the premisesbelieved to be the final resting

place of a European

The feet of the statue

The close-up of the waist ofthe statue with carved motifs

Necklaces adorn the neck

The elaborately carved head-dress of Kustarajagala statue

The magnificent rock hewn statue of Kustarajagala

Kustarajagala

Homage in rock to a Bodhisatva


Bodhisatvafrom P22ornaments and clothes. The head dress too is veryelaborately designed with four figures of Buddhacarved on three sides of it. Many necklaces adornthe neck. Parts of the head dress touch theshoulders. Perhaps, this is one of the most beautifuland intricately carved statues in Sri Lankasuggestive of the influence of Mahayana Buddhismin the country in the 7-8th centuries.Tragically, someone has attempted to dig out anarea between the chest and the waist of this statueremoving a piece of rock which contained anelaborately carved ornamental design across thestatue.Several similar marks are found in the head-dress ofthe Kustarajagala statue which is also believed torepresent a Bodhisattva. Avalokitesvara is assigneda higher status than Maitreya by the Mahayanists.He is identified as Natha Deviyo and is said torepresent the influence of Hindu pantheism in SriLanka. The left hand of the statue’s ring finger andthe middle finger are bent to touch the palm of thehand. This Mudra (pose) is believed to signify abeckoning to devotees for a blessing.

Nearby, the Aggrabodhi Rajamaha Vihara is one ofthe first 32 saplings of the Sri Maha Bodhiya atAnuradhapura. It is also speculated that this Viharawas called Aggrabodhi since it was constructedunder the patronage of King Aggrabodhi IV (667-683AD). The Kustarajagala statue is said to havebeen part of this temple at the time, though someothers it was part of an old Avalokitesvara-Nathatemple that used to stand on this site.This tallies with the doctrine of MahayanaBuddhism, as the Avalokitesvara was the saviour ofmankind and the healer of the sick. SoKustarajagala may belong to the Mahayana sect,long since defunct here and considered heretic. InRuhuna, we found several other Mahayana siteswhere similar Avalokitesvara Bodhisatva statuesexist - Situlpahuwa, deep in Yala National Park,Maligawila at Okkampitiya and Buduruwagala rockcarvings at Wellawaya are examples.The Kustarajagala statue is the most outstandingrelic today of a period during which Mahayana andTantric Buddhism held sway in Sri Lanka. When the

statue was completed is not known and this lack ofany detailed history may be due to the statue’sMahayana origins.

The competition between Mahayana and Theravadabecame a veritable war at one point in Sri Lanka’shistory. Finally, the original sect of Theravadaprevailed. With time, memories of Mahayanismfaded away completely. Most Sri Lankans todayconsider Mahayanism an exclusively foreign sect.However, devotees still come to the Kustarajagalastatue to worship and pray for relief from diseases -they regard the statue as a Mahayanist Bodhisattvawho is considered a healing deity.In front the Kustarajagala statue just a few feetaway, lies a tomb of a European. Some believe itmay belong to an engineer who came to build therailway track. Why this tomb is erected here is notknown and mysterious, but its details carved out ona granite plaque are still readable. It says “In lovingmemory of Thomas H.D. Gadder, Born 25 Aug.1825, Died 10 Aug. 1907, Jesus is our Peace”.If you find some extra time on your hands on a tripto Weligama, do not forget to see this statue.

Saviour of mankind

European tomb

The Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM),founded in 1922, is the world governing body forPower boating. The UIM governs all power boatingdisciplines. The Lanka Powerboat Association(LPA) represents the UIM in Sri Lanka. The aim ofthe LPA is to bring this exciting sport to Sri Lanka,to enable the island's community and tourists aliketo develop skills enabling them to drive a range ofpowerboats and have theopportunity to take part in local andinternational races. With this aim inmind the LPA started a series oftraining courses. On the 18th- 20thAugust the training commenced with LPA trainersrunning a 3-day UIM Propstar training course atWater's Edge, Colombo to train children agedbetween 9 and 16 years. This event proved to beextremely popular with 16 children being trained.We were successful in inviting Junior Powerboatchampion named Oban Duncan from UK topromote and participate in this event. ObanDuncan is a nine- year-old Scottish RIB champion.She is the youngest champion at her level. Thechildren followed a comprehensive syllabusconsisting of classroom and on water training. Thisis a landmark event as this is the first time thiscourse has been held, with Sri Lanka leading theway. The course was written specifically forchildren by the Union Internationale Motonautique.

The comprehensive course consists of 3 modules.All modules include both classroom and on watertraining. Basic Module: The Basic module forPowerboat Training offers an ideal introduction tothose new to the sport, instruction covers generalboating, seamanship, environmental and waterawareness skills. The instruction provided at thislevel will lay the foundation stones of knowledge

which will prove to be invaluable as youprogress through to the Advanced andCompetition levels of this programme.Advanced Module: The Advanced course isdesigned to provide an introduction into

powerboat racing and to teach candidates how toget started in the sport and safely compete at cluband national levels. Competition Module: As thename suggests this course is designed tofamiliarise the applicant with the skills necessary tocompete in powerboat racing at both National andInternational levels. All children successfullycompleted the Basic Module with the majority ofchildren attaining the Advanced Module andseveral of the children even being awarded thehighest level of Competition Module.All children successfully completed the BasicModule with the majority of children attaining theAdvanced Module and several of the children evenbeing awarded the highest level of CompetitionModule. This extremely successful 3-day training

event was the first in aseries of events to be heldfor the children of Sri Lanka.The trainers and childrenworked very hard to make ita successful event. One ofthe trainers said "I wasproud to be part of such anhistoric event. It was a joy tosee the children's skills andconfidence increase over the3 days" Due to the hugedemand we opened up the3rd day to an extra 25children who came toWater's Edge to participatein a Power Boat Experiencetaster session. Lastweekend, at Water's Edge,saw specially 5 selected children from Colombocompleting their Junior Propstar Training Course,again, under the guidance of the Lanka PowerboatAssociation (LPA) trainers. The children workedextremely hard to attain their Junior PropstarCompetition Certificate. The program includedclassroom work, children's presentations, racepractice and on water tuition. The 2-day eventconcluded with the children competing againsteach other in the first ever Junior Propstar Race

and thrilling time trial. Congratulations goes to allthe children but the results of the time trial were:1st Place - Taryn Martenstyn, 2nd Place - JaredMartenstyn, Joint 3rd place went to LaraGunerwardena and Shyamal Perera. With thetrainees trained to the highest UIM standard wewill be able to promote powerboating here in SriLanka knowing that it will always be conductedsafely, with a care for the environment and arespect for other drivers and spectators alike.

International Junior Powerboat Propstar Training - a first for Sri Lanka

(dailynews.lk) Western Province emergedchampion of the Women’s T20 inter-provincialcricket tournament when they beat North CentralProvince by six wickets in the final played atColts grounds yesterday.Western Province winning the toss and electingto field first restricted North Central Province to135 for 4 wickets in 20 overs.Skipper Chamari Atapattu scored 67runs off 53 balls with 5 fours and 5sixes. Dilani Manodara made 41 runsand with Chamari added 94 for thesecond wicket.Western Province chased down thetotal scoring 135 for 4 wickets in 19.5overs. Hansima Karunaratna scoredan unbeaten 52 off 37 balls with 7fours and Nipuni Hansika made 48.Hansika and Hashini Perera (27) puttogether a stand of 51 for first wicket.Hansika was also involved in anotherpartnership of 46 with Hansima

Karunaratna.Scores:North Central Province: 131/5 in 20 overs(Chamari Atapattu 67, Dilani Manodara 41,Sandani Thivanka 1/12)Western Province: 135/4 in 19.5 overs (HansimaKarunaratna 52 n.o., Nipuni Hansika 47, HashiniPerera 27, Inoka Ranaweera 2/27) - YK

(dailynews.lk) Charith Asalanka of RichmondCollege Galle was adjudicated the SingerSchoolboy Cricketer of the Year at the SingerSchools Cricket Awards held at MuseausCollege auditorium.

Asalanka however was not present to receivehis award as he was representing Sri Lanka A inthe second unofficial test against West Indies Aat Pallekele.Sammu Ashan of Ananda College was the

runner-up.St Peter’s College and St Sebastian’s CollegeMoratuwa were declared Singer joint schoolschampions.

A Richmond College cricketer receives the Singer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award on behalf of Charith Asalanka from guest of honourRoshan Mahanama. Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC director marketing Kumar Samarasinghe is also present and, (on right) Joint School Champions

St Peter’s College and St Sebastian’s College. (Pix by Ranjith Asanka)

Asalanka, St Peter’s and St Sebastian’s bag top awards

WP women’s T20 champs

CROOS MORAES RIENZIE - No. 35, RukmanideviMawatha, NegomboABEYSEKERA - DILSHANI CONSTANCE MENDIS - No.54/38, 2nd Lane, Central Park, Aniyakanda, Estate,Nagoda, KandanaAHANGAMA - SERENA ELEANOR (SIRI) (nee) PINTO -JAYAWARDENA).

ANTON VON MEYBRINKBALACHANDRA - JOSEPH PATRICKBERNARD HARRY - 113A, Maradana Road, Hendala,Wattala.BROHIER - GLADYS MURIEL (nee KOELMEYER)DE MEL - SUNILDE SILVA - Mrs. K.M.W. GNANA - No. 91A, WoodwardMw, GalleDE SILVA - WIMALA GLADYS - 86/3, Uyana Road,MoratuwaDHARMAKAN CATHERINE (Unghie). - 57, AlwisPlace, Kotahena, Colombo 13GANEGAMA - CHANDRANI - 235, MadiwelaRoad, Udahamulla.GOMEZ - CLETUS - 113/26, Dr. N.M. PereraMawatha, Colombo 8.HERATH - NIHAL - 155, Dharmasoka Mawatha,Kandy.INDUMATHI RANAWAKA (neeSURIYAARACHCHIJANSZ EVA - 43/2, Pantaleon Mawatha, Rilaulla,KandanaJAYAWEERA - DR. (MRS.) WINIFREDMANGALA - SENEVIRATNEPACKEER ALLY - HAJIANI GNEI FARINA - No.225/2, Bandaranayake Mawatha, Hunupitiya,Wattala.PALIHENA - BEATRICEPERERA - BEDEPERERA - MARY ASUNTHA JOSEPHINE (neeCOORAY) - No. 131/3, Galle Road, MoratuwaPERERA - MRS. K.L.PERERA - TISSA - 24/4, Hill Street, Dehiwela.PREMARATNE - VISAKHA. - No. 29, FairfieldGardens, Borella.REV. SISTER HENRITA DIAS, - Good ShepherdConvent, Nayakakanda.RODRIGO - DOREEN - 23, De Alwis Place,Dehiwala.RODRIGO - ETHAL IRANDATHI - 250/5,Torrington Avenue, Colombo 7.RYDE - Shelley - London, UKSAMARASEKERA - RITA - No. 121, Averiwatte

Road, WattalaSTANISLAUS - MRS W. DON (nee MALLIKADISSANAYAKE). - No. 14, 2nd Lane, Beddegana Road,Pita KotteSUNETRA ILANGAKOON - 97/1, Rosmead Place,Colombo 7.SURIYAPPERUMA - DILRUKSHAN PRASANNA

OBITUARIES


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A tribute to Shelley RydeMost people make an impact on life situationsthrough various types of support physical,financial, advisory, professional etc. but onlyvery few have the gift of imparting genuine,unchanging moral support under all weathers.And that unique someone was SHELLEY RYDE.Shelley was someone 'withoutprejudice' who always saw onlythe good in everyone he met; hesimply could not (or would not) seea flaw in anyone and if on the rareoccasion he did, he would alwaysprovide a 'get out clause' ofunderstanding and think up anexcuse. His love of sports, gameshows and music took up most ofhis time, leaving no room forunpleasantness and bad feelingstowards anyone. Seated in hisfavourite sofa, he would beengrossed in some game show orfootball match with regular andvociferous interaction with the TV.Shelley had been a very goodsportsman in his time excelling in tennis which hestarted in his youth when he won the tennischampionship for the Uva Province of Sri Lanka.He emigrated to the UK in the 60s with his youngwife Marie and continued with the sport, playingin several clubs and venues and winning manyawards along the way for his outstandingperformance. Sadly, his weakening health tookits toll on him and he had to be content withturning from an active sportsman to a passiveone just watching the sport he loved on Telly. Buteven this change of circumstances did not affecthis placid and pleasant nature; he carried on withhis life in his usual happy and gentle way. Ofcourse being blessed with a most devoted familyand extended family all of who loved him dearlyand who he cherished very much would have

made things that much easier. While he wouldhave been aware of these blessings, Shellywould always proudly and unselfishly attribute hisachievements and all the good things in his lifemostly to the part played by his beloved anddevoted Marie. Having met in their teens and

married back in Sri Lanka theywalked through life together everystep of the way, celebrating manyhappy milestone anniversaries,culminating in their golden weddinganniversary in January of this year.It was game, set and match.A world where there were no badfeelings or unpleasantness amongrelatives and friends or what didexist being too trivial to be of anyconsequence that was Shelley'sworld.Throughout his time as a memberof theSLCA,Shelleywas

always a constant,quiet yet strongpresence at everyevent, expressing hisapproval andencouragement ingood times and in bad.If there was anoccasion when hisattendance wasunsure due to healthreasons, it threw acloud over the eventwhich immediatelylifted if the situationchanged and hewalked in. He was

always appreciative of all the achievements ofthe SLCA . Shelley's close association andinterest in the SLCA was through his wife Mariewho had been a stalwart longstanding committeemember of the Association and of course,anything that interested and involved Marie,received Shelley's unreserved blessings too.Shelley was therefore unanimously accepted aspart of the fabric of the SLCA and someone whowas irreplaceable and certainly unforgettable.Farewell our beloved Shelley; we thank you withall our hearts for all you have been to everyoneof us a beloved husband, father, grandfather,father-in-law, brother, brother-in-law, relative andfriend, and through it all,a True Gentleman.May God bless you and keep you and may He bewith you until we meet again.

The Sri Lanka Christian Association

25.01.1937 - 02.10.2016

Gemini(the Twins) 21st May - 20th June

Cancer(the Crab) 21st June - 20th July

Leo(the Lion) 21st July - 19th / 22nd Aug

Virgo(the Virgin) 20th / 23rd Aug - 22nd Sept

Libra(the Scale) 23rd Sept - 22nd Oct

Scorpio(the Scorpion) 23rd Oct - 21st Nov

Sagittarius(the Archer) 22nd Nov - 20th Dec

Capricorn(the Goat) 21st Dec - 20th Jan

Aquarius(the Water Carrier) 21st Jan -19th Feb

Pisces(the Fishes) 20th Feb - 20th March

Aries(the Ram) 21st March-20th April

Taurus(the Bull) 21st April - 20th May

Gemini(the Twins) 21st May - 20th June

Cancer(the Crab) 21st June - 20th July

Leo(the Lion) 21st July - 19th / 22nd Aug

Virgo(the Virgin) 20th / 23rd Aug - 22nd Sept

Libra(the Scale) 23rd Sept - 22nd Oct

Scorpio(the Scorpion) 23rd Oct - 21st Nov

Sagittarius(the Archer) 22nd Nov - 20th Dec

Capricorn(the Goat) 21st Dec - 20th Jan

Aquarius(the Water Carrier) 21st Jan -19th Feb

Pisces(the Fishes) 20th Feb - 20th March

Aries(the Ram) 21st March-20th April

Taurus(the Bull) 21st April - 20th May

Your partner may be somewhat irritable this week.Self-deception regarding your own worth may lead you downthe wrong path. You need activity. You can expect to faceopposition on the home front.Your lucky day Thursday.

Plans to make physical improvements may lead topsychological changes, too. Children may be demanding, andentertainment could cost a lot more than you can really afford.You will inspire confidence in others. Don't let any smallmisunderstandings get in the way. Your lucky day Wednesday.

Get involved in jobs that require creative input. You can winpoints with both peers and superiors. Think about taking thetime to complete unfinished domestic chores. Go after yourgoals and don't be afraid to ask for assistance.Your lucky day Friday.

Try to do things with children that will enable you to bondcloser to them. Opportunities to learn important informationwill surface through discussions with peers or seminars youattend. Be supportive in order to avoid confrontations.Your lucky day Saturday.

You will drive your emotional partner crazy this week.You will have an inaccurate assessment of your status insociety. Opportunities to upgrade your living standardswill come through your lover or through joint financialinvestments. Your lucky day Thursday.

You can gain approval, get kudos, and ask for help if youput a little heart into your speech or request. Talk tosomeone you trust in order to see the whole picture. Don'tbe a pest or a troublemaker this week. Colleagues may tryto undermine you. Your lucky day Wednesday.

Consider the source before you believe what you hear. Socialactivity should be on your agenda. Unexpected visitors arelikely. Be prepared to do your chores early. Fitness or weightloss pro grams will help your self esteem.Your lucky day Saturday.

You may not be able to help, but your support will befavorable. Don't make promises. Get involved in groups andorganizations that are of a distinguished nature. Unexpectedbills will leave you a little short.Your lucky day Thursday.

Consider starting a small business on the side. Look for amarketable gimmick. Money may slip through your fingers.You can expect opposition from family as well as colleagues.Don't be too hard on your mate.Your lucky day Sunday.

Get involved in activities that will be fun for the whole family.You will get great satisfaction from your efforts. Get involved ina competitive sport that will bring the challenges you thrive on.You will be accident prone if you aren't careful this week.Your lucky day Saturday.

Your emotions have been pulled out of shape and you needto do a little backtracking. Try looking into new ways to makeextra money. Assist a relative or good friend by setting of abudget for them. Do not let your mate annoy you; patiencewill be the key. Your lucky day Tuesday.

Your ability to deal with others will help you accomplishyour goals. Don't reveal information that is personal orconfidential. You could be attracting individuals who areanything but good for you. Romantic opportunities willdevelop through friends or relatives. Lucky day Wednesday.

OBITUARY NOTICE

MR. H. A. PODI APPUHAMY1926-2016

It is with sadness we would like to inform that Mr. H . A.Podi Appuhamy, who served at the Student Centre in

London passed away on 10th October after a briefillness at the age of 90.

Last rites of his remains will be heldon 17th October at 4.40pm at Mortlake

Crematorium, Kew Meadow Path, Townmead Road,Richmond TW9 4EN.

May he attain Nibbana!Information please contact Nihal: 07557128226.


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in the hills of Kandy. Closeproximity to Town Centre. Three bedrooms with ensuite facilities. The whole house or individual roomoccupation accepted. For further details pleasecontact Telephone Number 07405874300(UK)0094771973670 E-mail: [email protected]

Formerly at RoyalCollege, British School and Colombo InternationalSchool; Head of Biology at a Private School inLondon; Teach Biology to GCSE, AS and A-level;Contact 074 1209 3850

Mount Lavinia, Off Templers Roadsolidly built 4300sq.ft. upstairs house on 21.8pland 5 Bedrooms attached bathrooms, living,veranda, family dining, pantry, kitchen, storeroom,driver's/servant's room, garage plus parking withinpremises, water storage tank/sump, 3 phaseelectricity. Wide road frontage, prime residentialarea decent neighbourhood. 07500773424Anushka- 0094723869922

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a female walking buddy inHarrow London. If you are interested call me on07505396220.

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- 3 bed house, 14 perches withall facilities, close to galle road rawatawattejunction with 7 perches space on side to buildanother house, close to leading schools, soughtafter residential area. Selling for less thanvaluation - 7lakhs/perch ONO. Tel: 0208 863 2900- details, photos in lankapropertyweb.com

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Kotmale Under-19 FootballChampionship(sundaytimes.lk) Favourites ZahiraCollege, Colombo, (ZCC) St. JosephVaz (SJV) College, St. Patrick’sCollege, Jaffna (SPJ) and St. Henry’sCollege, Jaffna, (SHJ) advanced to theSemi-Final (SF) stage of the KotmaleUnder (U)-19 Football Championship2016 with contrast wins in the Quarter-Finals (QF) played last week at the CityFootball ground. SPJ reached the SFby overcoming the powerful HameedAl-Husseinie College on penaltyshootouts in the 1st QF. The matchended in an exciting 1-1 draw, afterHameed Al-Husseinie drew first bloodthrough Mohamed Aman in the 3rdminute with S. Abeeshan equalising for St.

Pathrick’sjust beforethe shortwhistle.The 2nd-halfwasscoreless,and in theensuingpenaltyshootoutSPJ won 3-1. A.P.Anroot, D.H.Haines andR. Shanthanbooted forthe winners,while theloser’ssolitary goalcame fromMohamedSajid. In the2nd QF SJVstunned

Holy Cross College, Kalutara, 5-2. The 1st-halfended 1-0 in favour of SJV with AshenKanishka scoring in the 33rd minute. After theresumption, Kaveen Suchithra and BidushanFernando scored within 5 minutes, 55th and60th minute respectively, making it 3-0.But Dineth Silva and Udara Perera gave HolyCross hopes of a possible win by striking in the65th and 69th minutes respectively, to trail 2-3.After a keen tussle, Devinda Milinda andKaveen Suchithra put the issue beyond alldoubt with goals in the 85th and 94th minuterespectively to steer SJV home by 5-2. Thedark horse from the north, SHJ providedanother stunner when they defeated MarisStella College Negombo, an experienced sidein the top league, in the 3rd QF clash. SHJ wasquick to take charge with goals from P.Krishanth and N. Lucky in the 8th and 17thminutes respectively, to take ‘lemons’ with a 2-

0 lead.After the resumption, SHJ played defensivelyrather than be adventurous, and won 2-0.Tournament favourites ZCC played to theirpotential to beat De Mazenod CollegeKandana 4-1, in the 4th QF. Mohamed Aakiband T. Atheek struck in the 3rd and 5th minutesrespectively for Zahira, but Deen Jaya pulledone back in the 15th minute for De Mazenod.Zahira extended its lead to 3-1, whenMohamed Murshid scored in the 29th minute,at which score halftime was called.The 2nd half was evenly contested with bothsides trying seize the initiative, but ZCC,through a Mohamed Shafran goal in the 54thminute prevailed, to romp home 4-1.Accordingly, SPJ will take on SJV in the 1st SFand SHJ will meet ZCC in the other. However,the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) isyet to finalise dates for the 2 SFs. Thecompetition is organised and conducted by theFFSL, with the participation of top schoolteams from the districts. From the PreliminaryRounds, the 28 teams that reached the 2ndRound were divided into 4 Groups of 7 seventeams each. The top 2 in each Group qualifiedto play in the QFs.

St. Patrick's overcame HAH 3-1 on penalties

St. Joseph Vaz stunned Holy Cross

by Sajeewa Jayakody(sundayobserver.lk) S Thomas’ College MountLavinia clinched the 25th Dr RL Hayman TrophyRoyal-Thomian Water Polo encounter for thefourth consecutive year against Royal CollegeColombo whiletheir juniorsbagged theMahinda LiyanageChallenge Trophyafter a thrilling finalleg concluded atthe SugathadasaIndoor SwimmingPool Complex.The Thomians,who had alreadywon the first Leg 9-8 on October 1 atthe same venuecomprehensively,won the second legby 9 goals to 5 towin the SilverJubilee encounter by an aggregate of 18-13amidst huge support from both schools.S Thomas’ College fourth year coloursmanSachitha Jayatilleke had a grand game scoring

nine goals in bothlegs to take theprestigious MostValuable PlayerTrophy.The 19-year-old prop

scored five outof nine goalsscored by theThomiansyesterday.Apart fromJayatilleke’sexcellentperformances,goal keeperDilithKumarasingheplayed a pivotalrole at the net.Kumarasinghe was spot on when the ballcame to him foiling several scoring attempts.The goal scorers for S Thomas’ wereSachitha Jayatilleke (5), captain AshaneFrancis (1), Sanaka Molligoda (1) and

Shakya Gunatilleke (1). For Royal KalinduHettiarachchi (1), Basith Yakoob (1), Daishika Dias(1), Senith Samaranayake (1) and Shamod

Edirisinghe (1) scored.The Under-15 match of thesecond leg was won by Royal 6-3. But due to the Thomiansremarkable 9-5 win in the firstleg, the Mount Lavinia Schoolheld aloft the Mahinda LiyanageChallenge Trophy with a winningaggregate of 12-11.The Junior Challenge Trophyhas been named after MahindaLiyanage, the current SLASUAssistant Secretary whocaptained Royal College.The championship wasconducted by the Sri LankaAquatic Sports Union (SLASU)under international rules andregulations and refereed by twoMalaysian officials.

Zahira, Joseph Vaz, Jaffna’s St. Patrick’sand St. Henry’s in the Semis

The victorious S Thomas’ College team poses with Head CoachZafar Zainudeen after completing their fourth consecutive win

over Royal in the series. Pictures by Malan Karunaratne

S Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia goalkeeper, Dilith Kumarasinghe

successfully defends a Royal goalattempt at the 25th Dr RL HaymanTrophy Royal-Thomian Water Polo

Encounter played at the SugathadasaSwimming Pool Complex,

The Most Valuable Player ofthe Championship, Sachitha

Jayatilleke of S Thomas’College holds aloft the

trophy.

25th Dr RL Hayman Trophy Royal-Thomian Encounter :

Thomians continue dominance at water polo


Nature: through the eyes

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(sundaytimes.lk) Sri Lanka Cricket has decided tooffer annual contracts to around 70 cricketers inthe category of youth, emerging and seniorplayers in a bid to encouragethem to press for places in thenational team and put pressureon the current players.“There are so many categories ofplayers who are playing cricket sowe must look after them. We wantthe players who have not playedfor Sri Lanka not to be idling inclub cricket but to start puttingpressure on the national playersand make every effort to play forthe country as well as their clubs,” said SLCpresident Thilanga Sumathipala addressing amedia conference at SLC headquarters yesterday.“We have decided to look after these cricketers

and put them on a national contract. We met about70 players last Saturday and gave them aproposed agreement and we are informing our

member clubs that if there areanybody whom they feel areworthy of contract to inform us.“We will sign the contracts onOctober 30. The contract lastsfrom November 1 to April 30. Afterthat date they are free to play inany part of the world. We want tosee that our domestic is strongerand protected and give theplayers something they can behappy about. Apart from the

national players we are also looking after the otherplayers as well,” Sumathipala said. The players’will be paid between Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 100,000per month.

By Susil PremalalZahira Super 16s Under-18 Football 7s(sundaytimes.lk) Wesley College stunned hostsZahira College 3-2 on penalties to snatch the 12thZahira Super 16 Soccer Sevens Championship atMaradana yesterday. The Cup final was anintensely battled affair where the hosts were neatlythwarted by the gritty Wesley side to finish offscoreless and hold on to the tight defence evenduring the extra time. Wesley was always in thefore, even during the penalty shootout despite theheavy ground support for the Zahira side. Thegame changer was Wesley’s goalkeeperMohamed Nifraz, who saved three of Zahira’sshots and went on to win the award for the bestgoalkeeper.Mohamed Shaheel of Zahira was adjudged theplayer of the final while his team mate MohamedShafraz earned the most valuable player award. In the semi-finals Wesley beat Trinity 3-1 and

Zahira defeated Hindu College Manipay 2-0 toreach the final. In the third place playoff HinduCollege Manipay beat Trinity by 2-0. After ascoreless draw St. Benedict’s went on to run downSt. Peter’s by 3-1 on penalties to win the Bowlchampionship while the Plate title was won byRoyal Colombo who beat St. Joseph’s by 2-1 onpenalties. The game ended 0-0 at full-time. In theonly final that had a straight result defendingtournament title holders Maris Stella beatIsipathana by 1-0 to win the Shield championship.Trinity won the fair play team award. Thetournament was a perfectly conducted one and

was a better event whencompared to competitionsorganised by the Sri LankaSchools Football Association.The tournament had 16 teamsin total. Besides the ten teamsthat reached the top, Al AdhanBadulla, St. Mary’s Kegalle,Nalanda, Hindu Colombo, DeMazenod Kandana and ZahiraGampola had to bow out afterthe first round. The organisersof the tournament, the PastPrefects Association of ZahiraCollege, had madearrangements to fix a titlesponsor for each of the 16teams.The victorious Wesley side - Pix by Amila Gamage

Wesley College winning team captain NifrazNazar receiving the champions trophy and

cash award for Rs. 50,000.

SLC offers contracts to 70 cricketers

Wesley stun much fancied Zahira

(sundaytimes.lk) FormerNalandian, Niran Mahawattefrom National DevelopmentBank was unanimously re-elected for a second term asthe President of theMercantile CricketAssociation (MCA) at the99th Annual General Meetingheld on September 29 at theMCA Fine Dining Restaurant.The following office-bearers

were elected:President: Niran Mahawatte (NDB)Vice Presidents: Roshan Iddamalgoda (MediaVision Advertising (Pvt) Ltd., H.U.U. Buddhima(Prestige Automobile (Pvt) Ltd., Rohana

Dissanayake (David Pieris Motor Co).General Secretary: Nalin Wickremasinghe(Commercial Bank PLC)Asst Secretary: Mahesh De Alwis(Union Assurance General)Treasurer: Thushan Amarasuriya(Singer Sri Lanka PLC)Asst. Treasurer: Wasanthalal Fernando(John Keells Group)Firm representatives (5): D. Samson & Sonsrepresented by Rohan Somawansa, TrendexLanka (Pvt) represented by Sirosha Gunatilleke,First Choice (Pvt) Ltd represented SanjayaWijesinghe, Merchant Bank of Sri Lankarepresented by Duminda Pinto, Stafford Motors(Pvt) Ltd represented by Tharinda Kaluperuma -LR

Upananda Jayasundera(dailynews.lk) Indian International Master DineshSharma won the 7th edition of the Kandy OpenChess Championship with an impressive score of9.5 out of a possible 10, taking away the Rs100,000 winner’s cheque. The Chess tournamentwas organized by the 64 Squares Chess Academyin collaboration with the Chess Federation of Srilanka and was held at the NICD, Polgolla, andKandy recently.In a tense last round battle, young HarshanaThilakarathne drew with former national championand FIDE Master G.C. Anuruddha. The two tied forsecond place along with three other players, butthe tiebreak gave Harshana the Silver whileAnuruddha had to settle for the Bronze. Althoughseeded No 1, Michael Gotelof the Philippines had to besatisfied with a fourth placefinish. Osheen de Silva andMojith Gunaratne, the othertwo who tied for second placeended in 5th and 6th placesrespectively following thetiebreak.The Kandy Open ChessFestival is the biggest andstrongest open internationalrated chess event in SriLanka, with a total prize fund of Rs. 600,000 for

both classic and blitz events. This year’s eventattracted 640 players including players from India,

Maldives and the Philippines,the highest ever for a chessevent in Sri Lanka.Former Women’s Nationalchampion DinushkiPremanath won the Women’sChampionship whileWomen’s FIDE Master andformer Sri Lanka playerAnuththara Chandrasiri andNaduni Peththanayake ofMahamaya Girls College tiedfor second place, the former

securing the Silver on the tiebreak.The prize distribution ceremony was held on

September 30 with theattendance of GayanRajaratne - SeniorManager ofCommercial Creditwho was the mainsponsor of the event.Andrew Fowler-Watt -Principal of TrinityCollege, Kandy,M.R.ChandanaTennakoon -Commissioner, KandyMunicipal Council,Champal de Costa -Vice President andRegional Manager ofDFCC, RanjithRajapakshe - Principalof Vidyartha College -Kandy attended asguests of honor.

Niran Mahawatta President MCA

Dinesh Sharma wins Kandy Open Chess


(dailynews.lk) Minister of Provincial Councils andLocal Government Faizer Musthafa has instructedColombo Municipal Council officials to hand overthe Henry Pedris playground at Colombo 5 toIsipathana College.The decision was made on the instructions ofPrime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Isipathana College has functioned for 62 yearswithout a playground.The Department of Government Information saidthat once the MoU is signed, both the CMC andthe school will be responsible for maintaining thegrounds.

Indika Welagedara(dailynews.lk) Jason Dissanayaka,SudarshanaMuthuthanthri and Kevin DixonSri Lanka made three changes to their squad forthe upcoming third and final leg of the AsianSevens Series Men’s rugby tournament which willget underway on October 15 and 16 at theRacecourse international stadium in Reid Avenue.Winger Saliya Handapangoda has been ruled outdue to a hamstring injurywhile centres SashanMohamed together withHirantha Perera havebeen left out for reasonsbest known to theselectors.Hadapangoda andMohamed have beenreplaced by Havelock SCplayers scrum half Kevin Dixon and forwardSudarshana Muthuthanthri while Kandy SCforward Jason Dissanayaka gets the nod asreplacement for Hirantha Perera.“We are definitely looking at winning the Cupchampionship in Colombo while we are alsokeeping our hands crossed to see whether ifthere’s any possibility that we could get our self-selected for the upcoming world series rugbysevens,” chairman of selectors MichaelJayasekara said.Sri Lanka Sevens team played a brillianttournament under Danushka Ranjan where they

were deprived of a certain Cup championship dueto referee awarding a knocked-on match wining tryto winners Hong Kong thus losing 22-17 andfinishing second in the first leg in Hong Kong. Theyremained runners up to the same opponents onceagain losing 36-nil two weeks ago in the secondleg played in Korea.For the third leg Sri Lanka has been drawn in PoolB, alongside China, Chinese Taipei and

Singapore. Pool A willfeature first leg winnersHong Kong, SouthKorea, Japan andMalaysia.The Tuskers will playtheir first game againstChinese Taipei onOctober 15 at 13.12pm,against Simgapore at

16:08pm and against China at 19:04pm on theopening day.SRI LANKA SQUAD: Danushka Ranjan (captain,Kandy SC), Srinath Sooriyabandara (vice captain,Kandy SC), Dulaj Perera (Havelocks SC), OmalkaGunaratne (CR & FC), Kevin Dixon (HavelocksSC), Tarinda Ratwatte (CR & FC), Danush Dayan(Kandy SC), Jason Dissanayaka (Kandy SC),Richard Dharmapala (Kandy SC), KanchanaRamanayake (Kandy SC), Kavindu Perera (CR &FC), Sudarshana Muthuthanththri (Havelocks SC),Coach: Mat Turner, Head Trainer: Nick Groube.

(dailynews.lk) Nine clubs and associations whohave defaulted in submitting their audit reports forthe past year have been suspended from gettingany financial grants by Sri Lanka Cricket.The nine member clubs are: Baduraliya CricketClub, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club,Southern Province Cricket Association, NegomboCricket Club, Matara District Cricket Association,Puttalam District Cricket Association, KollupitiyaSports Club, Normads Sports Club and PetersonLane Sports Club.“From the month of January we have informed the

clubs and associations to have their audit reportsand to hold their AGM in time. They have notcomplied with our request and so we have tosuspend funding them,” said SLC presidentThilanga Sumathipala.“We are not funding any money until they rectifytheir administration. But for the sake of cricket theywill be allowed to play in SLC conductedtournaments. Until they get their accounts up andrunning and they submit the audit reports the SLChas decided not to grant them any money,” hesaid.

(colombogazette.com) The highest number ofoverseas players for the 2nd Pakistan SuperLeague (PSL) belong to Sri Lanka, West Indiesand England.The success of the first PSL in Dubai has seen anincrease in the number of foreign players nowavailable in the players draft with former NewZealand skipper, Brendon McCullum, England’sODI captain Eoin Morgan, Alex Hales, SunilNarine, Kieran Pollard, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid,Moeen Ali, Steve Finn, Wayne Parnell, AlbieMorkel, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Carlos Braithwaithe,Jason Holder, Jason Roy, Stuart Broad, etc addedto the overseas players list in different categories.Meanwhile, tainted Pakistan cricketers SalmanButt and Mohammad Asif have been given areprieve by PCB which has included their names

in the playersdraft for thePSL.Both theformerPakistanplayers wereignored for thefirst PSL draftas they had just completed their five-year bans forspot-fixing.Former Test captain Butt has been included in theGold category of the players draft while Asif hasbeen named in the lower Silver category for theplayers draft that will take place in Dubai aroundthe 18th and 19th of this month. (Courtesy PTI)

By S.R. Pathiravithana(sundaytimes.lk) The Ministry of Educationis in an earnest bid to regularise schoolcricket in the country. Special Consultantto the Ministry of Education SunilJayaweera feels that it is a must thatSchool Cricket have its own regulationsand controls rather than let them run wild.The main idea is not encouraging theadvent of new cricket playing schoolswithout proper planning. Jayaweera saidthat they have penned down some pointsfor discussions and soon after the NationalSchool Games are over on October 17,they will be ready to take the bull by itshorns. At present there are well over 400cricket playing schools that play over 7000tournament matches a year.The commitment is huge and at the sametime as well as being a huge expense.However the problem is more and more schoolsare striving to take up the game. The EducationDepartment Consultant Jayaweera said “Soonafter October 17, the Ministry of Education ishoping to join Sri Lanka Cricket and the Sri LankaSchool Cricket Association and the Main sponsorof School Cricket Singer Sri Lanka will also be inattendance. “Right now the most important thingis to make the game viable to those schools whichare engaged in the game. Firstly, we are going totake note of the schools that can afford to stay inthe game for instance – with the facilities fees, thehelp of the old boys associations and others.The schools which can afford to stay in the gamewill remain. We are concerned about thoseschools who are already in the game, but, findingit difficult to stay afloat. “We are trying to find waysof helping these schools through the Ministry ofEducation. At the same time we are also tryingother ways and means to help them. For instancewe could seek help provincially. A school in Mataracould get a mercantile establishment in that area

to sponsor that school. At the same time thetalented children who are engaged in cricket withina five-mile radius could be shifted to the maincentre. In that way there could be more controlledgrowth in the school cricket system.The children will remain in their own environmentand at the same time be playing better cricket.” Healso said a limited number of schools also couldtake up to play junior cricket and they couldgraduate into the main hubs if they are talented.Jayaweera also said most of the other newschools will be encouraged to take up softballcricket, but, have ways and means of spottingtalent there too. “In that manner we are hopingthat there would be controlled growth in schoolcricket. I believe that we need to develop thegame of cricket in the country because it is theone portal that would enable us to be partners ofprogress in the most successful sport in thecountry. But, right now it has gone a little haywireand it is yet not too late to bring it back tomanageable levels.” Jayaweera said inconclusion.

The Ministry of Education will play a pivotal rolein streamlining school cricket - File pic

School Cricket to be regularised

SLC suspends financial grantsto 9 clubs/associations

Henry Pedris Ground will go to Isipathana College

Sri Lanka makes three changes

By Naushad Amit(sundaytimes.lk) With the intention of regulatingthe level of competitions and adding quality to thegame, the Council of Sri Lanka Rugby FootballUnion (SLRFU) has decided to standardizecompetitions being held in Sri Lanka. Thedecision, which was made earlier this week at aCouncil Meeting will come to act with immediateeffect, according to SLRFU Secretary NazimMohamed. Accordingly organisers of tournamentswill have to seek SLRFU approval before makingother arrangements if they are willing to move onwith a governing body sanctioned competition.”The idea of standardizingtournaments is not todecline them fromconducting competitions,but to support them and setstandard according toWorld Rugby (WR)tournament guidelines.Be it any tournament of anyage category, theorganisers will need to getSLRFU approval and it’s allabout having at least thebasic requirements to run acompetition, the safety of players and otherimportant areas,” Mohamed told the SundayTimes. The SLRFU will notify all its affiliates onthe development and if any party of group foregothe procedure the Council will refrain fromproviding referees of the Sri Lanka Society ofRugby Referees’ (SLSRR), which is also part ofthe entity. According to insiders, sometournaments — importantly in the junior agecategory — are run by organisers without meetingproper requirements or a transparent competitionrule.At one instance, a source revealed, that the finalof a junior competition had its kickoff at 6.30pmunder fading lights and it was played as a 4-minute per-half game. This weekend a junior 10-a-

side tournament for the Under-12 age group isbeing played on a ground which has been dividedinto three playing fields, perhaps less specifiedthan the minimum requirement. Rugby expertscomplain the need of scrutinizing suchcompetitions. ”We have received large number ofcomplaints from many, especially parents, who areconcerned about player safety and otherrequirements. We will read their tournamentstructure, manuals, competition rules andguidelines, medical facilities and so on.If they need to be structured out, we will guidethem and help them fulfill whatever shortcomings.

The presence of a medicalteam and an ambulancewill be compulsory fromnow on. If the basic WRguidelines are met andfollowed, the SLRFU willsanction the tournamentand they can move on. Atleast the SLRFU will have aliability if any problem cropsup,” he added. If partieswish to forego the processand conduct a competitionon their own will, Mohamed

stressed that the SLRFU will not consider it as asanctioned tournament and whatever comesafterwards will be the sole responsibility of thosewho conduct the tournament.Hence the SLRFU will not provide referees forsuch competitions. ”Rugby is getting bigger in SriLanka. The amount of competitions played atjunior level shows the need of regulatingcompetitions and taking them to an even level.This will be a guideline all affiliates of SLRFUshould follow from now on. If they fail, thegoverning body will not hold responsible ofanything that may come out negatively. It will bemandatory to all and will come to affectimmediately,” Mohamed said.

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Six-a-side cricket(nation.lk) Thurstan College beat DS SenanayakeCollege by two runs in a thrilling final to claim thechampionship crown in a six-a-side crickettournament organized by ANC Education incollaboration with the University of South Australiaand the South Australia Institute of BusinessTechnology.

The tournament was conducted at the Coltsgrounds recently saw eleven schools teamsparticipated. The schools were Royal College,D.S. Senanayake College, Zahira College,Thurstan College, St. Peter’s College, BelvoirCollege, Leeds International, StaffordInternational, Colombo International School,Wycherly International College and GatewayInternational.The two action-packed days featured a series ofclose encounters. The first semi-final sawThurstan College beat Wycherley InternationalSchool Colombo by 85 runs while D.S.Senanayake College defeated Gateway CollegeColombo by 9 runs in the second semi-final.“Driving excellence in sports education issomething we have taken up as one of our corefocus areas. This tournament is part of a series ofevents that we plan to organize around the globeto celebrate our 25th anniversary. We’ve launcheda range of new scholarships in these areas andwe hope to encourage young students take aninterest in majoring in one of these disciplines,”commented Rishen Shekhar, Associate Director,International UniSa International, University ofSouth Australia.

Thurstan beat DS Senanayake in thrilling final

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