News

British minister talks to NGOs on SL situ

Britain Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire met several Non- Governmental Organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International on Thursday and held discussions on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

In a twitter post, Swire stated “Met NGOs @HRW @AmnestyUK @freedomfromtorture @SLcampaign this morning to discuss human rights in #SriLanka & impact of our attendance @CHOGM” .
“I made clear the importance the Britain attaches importance to continued progress on human rights in SL, including on accountability,” he stated.
He said he also discussed the impact of their attendance at the CHOGM in Colombo last November.
Source: Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
News, SL Media UK

President Rajapaksa holds discussions with President Shimon Peres

[By Janaka Alahapperuma]

A bilateral discussion between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Israel counterpart Shimon Peres was held at the President’s Office in Jerusalem this morning on 09 January. Sri Lankan President arrived in Jerusalem yesterday (08) as the final destination on his Middle East tour which began with a 2-day state visit to Jordan last Saturday. President Rajapaksa stayed another 2 days in Palestine before he left for Israel.

The two leaders focused attention to further strengthen bilateral relations between both countries. Attention was also focused on economic, business and tourism sectors. The President informed his Israeli counterpart on the post-war reconstruction and development progress as well as the economic progress achieved following elimination of terrorism in Sri Lanka. The President also elaborated on the rehabilitation and reconciliation process in Sri Lanka. Israeli President Peres explained on the ongoing peace process between Israel and Palestine.

Israel’s National Defence Adviser Yossi Cohen, Head of the National Information Director’s Office Liran Dan, Israel’s non-resident Ambassador to Sri Lanka in New Delhi Alon Ushpiz, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer were present at these discussions. Sri Lanka was represented by Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, External Affairs Ministry Monitoring MP Sajin Vass Gunawardena, Parliamentarian Roshan Ranasinghe, President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunge and Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Israel Sarath Wijesinghe.

Later in the afternoon, President Rajapaksa visited the Grove of Nations Forest in Jerusalem following discussions with the Israeli President. The Grove of Nations is found in the Jerusalem Forest and makes up a part of the Olive Tree Route, a part of the initiative led by UNESCO and the Council of Europe to establish an Olive Tree Route around the entire Mediterranean basin expressing the common desire for peace and co-existence.

President Rajapaksa also planted an Olive tree in the National Park to mark his tour in Israel. He is the first Sri Lankan leader to visit Israel since its establishment in 1948.

Photos by: Sudath Silva

News, SL Media UK

President Rajapaksa holds bilateral discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu

[By Janaka Alahapperuma]

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held bilateral discussions at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, Israel on Wednesday 08 January. President Rajapaksa arrived in Jerusalem this morning together with First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa for two days as the final destination on his Middle East official visit.

The bi-lateral discussions mainly focused on the areas of agriculture, Information technology (IT), water management, trade and employment. During the talks between President Rajapaksa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both leaders agreed to expand bilateral relations in a number of sectors, including trade, agriculture and water.

Israel is known for the drip irrigation technology for the agricultural sector to cope with the water crisis in the region. Another water-related technology that was discussed was desalination, a process through which potable water is produced from sea water. Israel Premier agreed to provide technological assistance, including support to expand the scope of utilizing the drip irrigation system in Sri Lanka. IT and employment were other areas identified for strengthening cooperation between the two countries.

There are roughly 7000 Sri Lankans currently working in Israel as care workers. The two leaders agreed to work towards increasing employment in this sector as well as seasonal employment in agriculture. Israel pointed out that Israeli farmers are quite satisfied with quality of Sri Lankan employees working in the country. President Rajapaksa also thanked Israeli Prime Minister for the humanitarian assistance provided to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.

President Rajapaksa is the first Sri Lankan head of State to visit the State of Israel since its inception in May 1948.

The Israeli delegation comprised of Israeli National Security Advisor Yossi Cohen, Chief of National Information Directorate Liran Dan and Non-Resident Ambassador to Sri Lanka in New Delhi Alon Ushpiz, Ambassador of Israel to the United States Ron Dermer.

The Sri Lankan delegation comprised of Minister of External Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris, Monitoring MP of the Ministry of External Affairs Sajin Vaas Gunawardena, Parliamentarians Roshan Ranasinghe, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sarath Wijesinghe.

Photos by: Sudath Silva

News

Bankrupt Central Bank breaking tills; Mangala

UNP parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera said today the Central Bank’s plan to bring down the Sri Lankan coins that are in tills at sacred places like in India showed how bankrupt the Central Bank is.

“The Central Bank Governor has said he hopes to bring down the Sri Lankan coins found in tills at places of worship in India. He has said about 10 to 15 tonnes of coins have been dropped into the tills by the Sri Lankan pilgrims. This act shows how bankrupt the Central Bank is,”he said.

Mr. Samaraweera said the central bank should take steps to bring down the billions of illegal money deposited in foreign banks by politicians without resorting to the breaking open the tills.

“If the Government is so bankrupt, the best thing the treasury can do is to bring down the huge amount of black money deposited in foreign banks by politicians. If the Central Bank wants to locate the illegal deposits, it can seek the assistance of the Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) Unit established in the World Bank for help in such matters.(Ajith Siriwardana)

Watch video : http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/41404-bankrupt-central-bank-breaking-tills-mangala.html

Source: Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

UK Community News & Photos

Change a Life 2014 | Reality UK 31st Night

Reality UK held its 4th annual fundraising dinner dance and rocked Londoners on New Year’s Eve with a variety show blended and fabulous music.
The full house event filled by enthusiastic Sri Lankan music lovers thoroughly enjoyed the 31st Night till the wee hours of the New Year’s Day at Sattavis Patidar Centre, Wembley Park, Middlesex. The guest singers/musicians Champa Kalhari, Susil Fernando and Saman De Silva together with the popular band Fusion and Andre Martinez mesmerized the crowd and stage performance added the rhythm and colour to the night.
Mouth watering food and refreshments were served as usual throughout the night. Sharpe at the dawn of the New Year kiribath, munkevum, kokis and champagne were also served on the house.
All the proceeds will be donated to complete the building of a new dormitory on the 45 perches of the adjoining land of the Bingiriya Care Home for under privileged children and adults with learning disabilities in Sri Lanka to provide them a decent life. The 45 perches land was purchased, and planning permission was granted and the foundation was built by the funds raised during the previous Dinner Dances held in 2011 and 2012.
Watch more pictures on event highlights:  http://www.facebook.com/srilankanspuwath

Photography by : Praneeth Hettiarachchi
News, SL Media UK

President Rajapaksa arrives in Israel

[By Janaka Alahapperuma]

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his entourage arrived in Jerusalem in Israel this morning on 08 January as the final leg of the three nation Middle East official visit. President Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa were warmly welcomed by Israeli and Sri Lankan children as they arrived in Jerusalem.  Sri Lankan Head of State arrived in Jerusalem from Bethlehem. 

 

The President is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions today with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Sri Lankan President will meet his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres tomorrow and is also expected to plant a sapling for the remembrance of his visit. The President is also scheduled to visit important religious sites in Jerusalem. The President is also scheduled to meet a business delegation of Israeli during the visit.

Pictures are seen, Sri Lankan and Israeli children greet President Mahinda Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa as they arrived in Israel this morning. 

Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, Parliamentarians Sajin Vass Gunawardena, Kamala Ranatunge and Roshan Ranasinghe, UNP National List parliamentarian John Amaratunga, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Israel in Tel Aviv, Sarath Wijesinghe and his staff members and Israel government officials were present on the occasion.

Photos by: Sudath Silva

News

Sri Lankan President and First Lady visit Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

[By Janaka Alahapperuma]

The Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, hosted Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, Palestinian President Dr. Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah for dinner on Monday evening (06 January). Many local and foreign dignitaries were present at the dinner hosted by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III.

The vicinity of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus was illuminated for the celebration of the Eastern Orthodox Christmas, which takes place on Tuesday. Most Eastern Orthodox Christian denominations celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on January 7th, in contrast to the Western Christian tradition of celebrating on December 25.

The compound of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is decorated for the celebration of the Eastern Orthodox Christmas festivities. Orthodox Christian Priests and clergymen prayed in the Grotto. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, Palestinian President Dr. Mahmoud Abbas also attended the Mass of the Christmas Eve at the Church of the Nativity.

Meanwhile Mrs Shiranthi Rajapaksa, together with Parliamentarian Kamala Ranatunge and some members of the Sri Lankan delegation in Palestine visited Jewish and Christian religious sites in Palestine. The places visited included Mount Sinai in which Prophet Moses entered to a pact with God, the location at Jordan river in which Jesus Christ was baptized and the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem.

Photos by: Sudath Silva

News

US official to visit the North

The US Ambassador-at-Large at the Office of Global Criminal Justice, Stephen J. Rapp will visit the North tomorrow as part of his ongoing trip to Sri Lanka, US Embassy officials said.

Rapp will be in the North for two days where he will have talks with officials and politicians in the area and will then return to Colombo for further discussions.

The top US official arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday and will remain in the country till Saturday, the US State Department said.

This is Ambassador Rapp’s second trip to Sri Lanka as Ambassador-at-Large.

During this trip Ambassador Rapp is to meet a broad cross section of government officials and political and civil society leaders on a range of issues focusing on Sri Lanka’s justice, accountability, and reconciliation processes, the State Department said.

The US official was last in Sri Lanka in February 2012. His current visit comes ahead of the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva where Sri Lanka will be discussed.

The US is expected to back a resolution on Sri Lanka at the March session.

Source : Colombo Gazette (Sri  Lanka)

News, SL Media UK

“Star of Palestine”-President Rajapaksa conferred with the highest award of the Palestine

[By Janaka Alahapperuma]

President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is currently on a tour in the Middle East left Jordan and arrived in Palestine for a two day official visit this morning on 06 January.

The Government of Palestine conferred Sri Lankan President with the “Star of Palestine”, the highest award of the State of Palestine when President Rajapaksa met his Palestine counterpart at the Presidential Palace in the West Bank city of Ramallah. In return, President Rajapaksa on behalf of the people of Sri Lanka conferred the “Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana” awards on former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and current President Mahmoud Abbas.

“The relations between Sri Lanka and the State of Palestine are exceptional and we remain committed to extending our fullest support to the State of Palestine and the friendly people of Palestine,” President Rajapaksa said during the conferment ceremony.

While emphasizing the longstanding cordial relations between both nations, “I am honoured to receive you. Our two countries maintain good relations and I wish it will improve more and more” President Abbas said.

President Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, along with the Sri Lankan delegation were warmly received by a Palestinian delegation led by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. Following his arrival, President Rajapaksa visited the mausoleum of the former Palestine President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah and laid a wreath and paid respect to the late leader. President Rajapaksa and his family met the late President Arafat back in 1997 when he visited Sri Lanka.

President Rajapaksa met with his Palestinian counterpart and the two leaders inspected a Palestinian honor guard before getting to bilateral discussions. Two leaders conducted a one-on-one meeting as well as engaged in extended bilateral discussions with their respective delegations. Following the discussions President Rajapaksa and Palestinian President Dr. Mahmoud Abbas observed the signing of agreement on establishment of Sri Lanka-Palestine Joint Commission and the MOU on establishment of the Mahinda Rajapaksa Vocational Training Centre by Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris and Dr Mohammad I, Shtayyeh, Minister Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction.

President Abbas also briefed Sri Lankan President on the latest in the peace process in his nation as well as efforts to push it forward and discussed also mutual and bilateral cooperation.

While in Palestine, President Rajapaksa is also expected to open a vocational training center, plant an olive tree at the Betunia Municipal Council Park, meet with members of the Sri Lanka-Palestine Friendship Association and attend midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

External Affairs Minister Prof. Peiris, Monitoring MP of the Ministry of External Affairs Sajin Vass Gunawardena, Parliamentarians Ms. Kamala Ranatunga and Roshan Ranasinghe, UNP National List MP John Amaratunga, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Jordan Gamini Rajapaksa comprise the Sri Lankan delegation.

Palestinian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Dr. Anwar H. Al-Agha, Sri Lanka’s Acting Representative in Palestine Siraj Ahamed and the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Bethlehem Micheal Shomali were also present at the occasion.

Photos by: Sudath Silva

News, SL Media UK

Sri Lankan President holds bilateral discussions with the King of Jordan

[By Janaka Alahapperuma]
President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is on an official tour of Middle East, has begun bilateral discussions with the King of Jordan on Sunday afternoon (05 January) at the Royal Hashemite Court in Amman.
President Rajapaksa was received with a warm welcome by the King of Jordan His Majesty King Abdulla II Ibn Al Hussein at the Royal Court where bilateral discussions took place between Sri Lanka and Jordan. Both leaders focused attention on a number of topics relevant to both countries, including cooperation in defense-related activities and progress of the Joint Committee. King Abdullah stressed the need to bolster the friendship and cooperation between the two nations in economic, commercial, investment and other common interest and regional and international issues.

Sri Lanka is the largest supplier of tea to Jordan. Therefore President Rajapaksa requested King Abdullah for duty concessions for Sri Lankan Tea imported to Jordan. He also praised the care Jordan provides for Sri Lankan workers in the Kingdom. This is the third time President Rajapaksa visited King Abdullah. The president met him last time when he attended the G11 summit in 2009. Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Jordan established in 1965 and Sri Lankan embassy in Amman was established in 1996.
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein Ibn Abdullah, Jordanian Foreign Minister, Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Monitoring MP of the Ministry of External Affairs Sajin Vass Gunawardena, UNP Parliamentarian John Amaratunga, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Jordan Gamini Rajapaksa were also present at the bilateral discussions.
After holding talks in Jordan, President Rajapaksa will leave for a two day official visit to Palestine. The President will hold discussions on bilateral relations with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, will lay a wreath at the Mausoleum of the former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, meet members of the Sri Lanka Palestine Friendship Association and make a visit to the Church of Nativity.  During his two day official visit to Israel, the President will hold discussions with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nethanyahu and the Israel President Shimon Peres.
Photos by: Sudath Silva
News

JVP demands arrest of PM

Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne, too, should be arrested like OIC of the Wellampitiya Police station on drug charges, the JVP said yesterday.

Addressing a media conference at the party head office in Pelawatte, JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Vijitha Herath said that the police had arrested Wellampitiya OIC for keeping 42 g of heroin in his possession, but Prime Minister was still free even after issuing letter to release a container of 262 Kg of the substance.

MP Herath said that Prime Minister Jayaratne had recently said at a public meeting that the main suspect involved in importing the drug container was a friend of his son, Central Provincial Council member Anuradha Jayaratne and that was why he had issued a letter through one of his secretaries.

The Gampaha District MP said PM had to resign from his post and apologise to the nation.

Herath said that government MP Arundika Fernando, too, had said in a newspaper interview that there were heroin dealers in the government. “If so, he must expose them to the public,” the JVP MP said, adding that otherwise the police should question him to find out who they were.

Colombo District JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti said that according to police information around 400 kilos of heroin circulated all over the country at present, but the government was silent on the matter.

By Dasun Edirisinghe
Source: The Islands (Sri Lanka)

Sports

Youngsters step up for the challenge

Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal had come up with impressive knocks in ODI cricket in recent years. In Abu Dhabi last week the duo put up a solid effort to save the opening Test against Pakistan.

Sri Lanka were down and out in the first two days of the Abu Dhabi Test against Pakistan and in the next two days fought back admirably and earned a draw. What was more satisfying was that it was Sri Lanka’s young brigade that stood up for the challenge. Here is confirmation that the future, at least with regard to batting, isn’t bleak.

The New Year Test in Sydney in 2013 was the first occasion in a long time that we saw some of the younger players rising to the challenge. Lahiru Thirmanne, a late replacement to the injured Kumar Sangakkara, arrived in Sydney just 48 hours before the Test and scored an outstanding 91 and earned high praise from Ian Chappell.

There were other noteworthy knocks from Dimuth Karunaratne (85)and Dinesh Chandimal (62*) against an attack that comprised Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc and the progress of these young players was only dented by the cricket board that cancelled two crucial Test series. A home series against the number one ranked Proteas and an away series against the resurgent West Indies could have done much good for some of these younger players. Yet, money making was the priority of Sri Lanka Cricket and not developing younger players.

In Abu Dhabi, Mathews fought a lone battle in Sri Lanka’s first innings where they were bowled out for 204 runs. He was last man out for 91. Pakistan then responded in style and at stumps on day two they had reached 327 for four. Despite losing the last six wickets for not many on the third day, a first innings lead of 179 runs put the Sri Lankans under tremendous pressure.

When Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene fell in the space of seven deliveries with Sri Lanka still 29 runs behind, the team was facing a tall order with two full days left.

Kaushal Silva had got a break when Prasanna Jayawardene was injured two years back but had failed to grab that opportunity. Loads of runs in domestic cricket and for Sri Lanka ‘A’ meant that he got another opportunity, this time as a specialist batsman filling in for the retired opener Tillekreatne Dilshan.

In the second innings Kaushal negotiated Pakistan’s three fast bowlers for over four hours and made 81 runs before being dismissed in the last over of the day. If there were doubts whether he could fit in to the demands of a Test opener, Kaushal had done enough to be persevered with at least for the series against Pakistan.

The most satisfying knocks came the following day. The day began with Sri Lanka just seven runs ahead with six wickets in hand and there were two full days of play left. The captain and vice-captain were involved in a terrific rescue effort that made many Sri Lankan fans happy.

Chandimal had thrown it away in the first innings with a rash shot; Mathews in Test Match cricket had lacked consistency. This was the perfect platform for both of them to deliver and they accomplished that task so well.

There’s been never a doubt about the talents of the duo. Like all good players with experience they go onto become solid Test cricketers. This is just the start and hopefully there are lot more match saving and match winning efforts to come from them.

Mathews and Chandimal added 138 runs for the fifth wicket. Chandimal fell after batting for over four hours. He followed his instincts, hooked Junaid Khan and was caught at deep fine-leg for 89. He deserved the century, but more importantly had done his bit to the team.

Mathews was more cautious. Over the last two years he had improved a lot. He was solid in defense, put away the loose balls and exhibited patience in abundance. When he declared Sri Lanka’s innings on the final day, the tourists had got to a position from where they couldn’t lose the match, an unlikely scenario at the end of day two when Pakistan threatened to run away with the game. Mathews remained unbeaten on 157 when he declared the innings with a lead of 301 runs.

In a long time, Sri Lanka had saved a Test Match without the support of Sangakkara, Samaraweera, Dilshan or Jayawardene.

Mathews occupies the number six position. Although a crucial position, the Sri Lankans have struggled to find someone ideally suited to bat there. The tendency has been that once a player becomes established in the side he moves up in the order. It’s said that you need to get your best batsmen to bat higher in the order. That argument of course is subject to debate. Not all players excel in batting with the tail – rotating the strike, farming the strike and taking risks occasionally. It requires special talent and the likes of Hashan Tillekeratne in Test cricket and Michael Bevan in ODI cricket were remarkably successful in that role. Mathews could be the man to thrive under pressure batting at six in both Tests and ODIs.

by Rex Clementine

Source: The Islands (Sri Lanka)

Latest Events

Monthly Meditation on 11 January 2014

LONDON BUDDHIST VIHARA
Dharmapala Building
The Avenue, Chiswick, London W4 1UD
Tel: 0208 995 9493 Fax: 0208 994 8130

 

MEDITATION SESSION
You are cordially invited to attend a meditation session conducted

By

Dr. Sumana Perera

at

the London Buddhist Vihara
on

Saturday 11th January 2014

at 5.00pm – 8.00pm

 

All are welcome!

Latest Events

Dhamma Class on Tuesday

The London Buddhist Vihara

Tuesday Dhamma Class

We are starting the classes for the New Year on Tuesday the 14th of January 2014.

Topics from the Khuddaka Nikaya will be discussed on every Tuesday from 7.30pm to 9.00pm.

NB, This course is meant for the advanced learners in Buddhism but we would like to invite any one of you interested in higher Buddhism to come and see.

Tutor: – Ven. K. Ariyarathana

All are welcome

News, SL Media UK

President Rajapaksa begins a state visit to the Middle East

[By Janaka Alahapperuma]

President Mahinda Rajapaksa left the island this morning on 04 January, embarking on an official tour of the Middle East.Sri Lankan President will visit Jordan, Palestine and Israel during his trip.

President Rajapaksa accompanied by First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa arrived at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, the first stop of the tour on Saturday afternoon, beginning a two-day state visit. The President and the First Lady were warmly received on arrival at the air port by two Sri Lankan children living in Jordan. 

Representing the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Acting Secretary-General of Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Taisir and the Director of the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zuhair Ensouk were present at the air port to welcome President Rajapaksa.  

The President is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the king of Jordan, His Majesty King Abdullah Ibin Al- Hussein during his two day visit to the Arab Kingdom in the Middle East.

Thereafter President Rajapaksa will travel to Palestine on a two-day state visit (07th and 08th January) and will hold bilateral discussions with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. This will be the first visit of a Sri Lankan Head of State to the State of Palestine. In Palestine, President Rajapaksa will pay floral tributes to his late friend, former President Yasser Arafat’s mausoleum. He will also meet members of the Sri Lanka Palestine Friendship Association which he was also a former President and will visit the Holy Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Thereafter the President will make a two-day state visit to Israel, the final destination of the Middle East tour where he is slated to hold talks with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The president will be visiting Palestine on the 09th and 10th of this month.

The Sri Lankan delegation is expected to hold discussions with the representatives of each country on strengthening bilateral relations in the agriculture, tourism, trade and employment sectors during the Middle East tour.

First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Monitoring MP of the Ministry of External Affairs, Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, Parliamentarians Mrs. Kamala Ranatunga, Roshan Ranasinghe and John Amaratunga, Secretary to the President, Lalith Weeratunga and Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Jordan, Gamini Rajapaksa are a part of the delegation accompanying the President. 

Photos by: Sudath Silva

Sports, Sri Lanka Cricket Round-up

Sri Lanka Cricket Round-up (04/01/2014)

  • At Darley Rd – St Joseph’s 210/10 & 108/5 and St Sebastian’s 254/10 (St. Sebastian’s won on 1st innings)
  • At Maradana – Zahira 239/10 & 307/6 and Lumbini 232/10 (Zahira won on 1st innings)
  • At DSS grounds – Prince of Wales 83/10 & 134/10 and D.S.Senanayake 208/10 & 10/1 (DSS won by 9 wickets)
  • At Mt. Lavinia – St. Benedict’s Kotahena 140/10 & 206/7 and St. Thomas’ 165/9 dec (St. Thomas’ won on 1st innings)
  • At Negombo – President’s Kotte 147/10 & 150/10 and Maris Stella 190/10 & 110/3 (Maris Stella won by 7 wickets)
Sports

End of the road for Malinga?

Sri Lanka’s cricket administrators, selectors and everyone who matters including the country’s political hierarchy have finally run out of patience with Lasith Malinga’s indifferent performances since of late for his country’s national team and have taken a collective decision to send the star bowler a strong signal about his future with the Sri Lanka team by dropping him for the forthcoming Bangladesh tour.

Informed sources told “Daily Mirror” that a lot of new changes will herald the new year for Sri Lanka team following a crucial meeting of top level officials of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), where some radical decisions had been taken. Among them was a decision to put the performance of several other senior players of the team under the microscope and an appraisal of the team’s massive support staff all of whom are paid lucrative salaries.

Following Sri Lanka’s 3-2 loss in the ODI series, the officials had felt that the team’s performance was extremely below par and analysed that Sri Lanka could not do much worse, even without the misfiring seniors. They have wanted new blood infused into the system through a gradual rotation system of resting seniors and trying out new talent in their place.

Malinga’s pathetic bowling and fielding had been a main topic of concern and SLC President Jayantha Dharmadasa had reportedly communicated the decisions taken in consultation with the national selectors to the national team members and support staff.

Sources said that Dharmadasa had phoned the team manager after the ODI Series and had spoken to each member of the support staff to convey SLC’s concern. Among those in the front to face the firing squad are said to be the batting coach Marvan Atapattu and fielding coach Ruwan Kalpage.

“What can you say about Sri Lanka’s batting and fielding performance? Who is responsible if the team fails? What is the point of having all these coaches, paying them huge salaries if they can’t do their job properly? It is time that SLC takes these people to task. All this time, they were enjoying big perks and having an easy time. Now they will be required to prove themselves. If not, SLC will not hesitate to show them the door” said a top SLC official.

There are strong indications that SLC will take drastic steps to reduce the support staff of the team and the players will be asked to get the maximum from the coaches. SLC is reportedly spending nearly Rs. ten million monthly on the salaries for coaching staff and a figure around Rs. Five million monthly for the Sri Lanka team support staff.

SLC will mount a serious attempt to secure a place in the proposed ICC Test championships, and have felt that the team will simply be not able to achieve that goal unless some drastic changes take place in the team.

In the plans for 2015 World Cup in Australia, Sri Lanka might look to leave out some seniors including Lasith Malinga and Thisara Perera as their alleged lack of commitment has not impressed the selectors.

Malinga’s lack of fitness has also been major worry for the Sri Lankans, sources said. Malinga reportedly dodges most of the fitness regimes citing his knee injury and had reportedly refused to look for other methods of fitness. SLC officials had been of the view that Malinga’s main interest was playing in the lucrative T20 leagues such as the Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League and the Australian Big Bash. They felt that he was playing in the national team merely for the sake of avoiding a public outcry against him.

Meanwhile Thisara Perera who has also been erratic in his form had requested SLC to join the Australian Big Bash tournament which is currently underway, but the SLC had refused to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) which is pre-requisite to play in any overseas domestic tournament.

SLC Sources said that chief national selector Sanath Jayasuriya had objected to Perera being released as he had failed to perform up to expectations against Pakistan. Perera had instead been asked to stay back and play the forthcoming limited overs series against the visiting England “A” team in order to improve his bowling ahead of the Bangladesh series, Asia Cup and the ICC World T20 in the next two months.

At a meeting Perera had with SLC officials, Jayasuriya had reportedly warned Perera severely to work on his bowling. Jayasuriya had felt that taking instructions from national bowling coach Chaminda Vaas and then taking different instruction from the other SLC Coaches has left Perera confused and at the mercy of international batsmen. However, Malinga’s scenario is different as he reportedly does not take instructions from Vaas and shows an indifferent attitude towards the greatest pace bowler Sri Lanka has produced.  (Channaka de Silva)

Source: Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

News

Pilot didn’t lose control of his aircraft: Sri Lankan

A Sri Lankan airline flight from Colombo to London on January 1 was forced to return to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) some 45 minutes after the take-off when the cockpit crew observed a crack on one of the windshields.

At no point did the captain lose control or did the plane go into a nosedive, the airline said in a statement.

“In the interest of the safety of passengers and the aircraft, the pilots decided to return to Colombo for the replacement of the windshield.”

The full statement

With reference to a media report on a Sri Lankan flight allegedly making a nosedive, SriLankan Airlines wishes to clarify that at no point did the captain of the flight lose control of the flight or it experienced a nosedive.

On 1st of January at 1435hrs Sri Lankan flight UL 503 departed Colombo, for London Heathrow Airport. Approximately 45 minutes after the take-off, the cockpit crew observed a crack in the windshield.  The windshield of the aircraft has three layers of glass and it was the centre-layer which had developed the crack.

As per the manufacturers’ recommended procedure the pilots descended the aircraft to 10,000ft as a precautionary measure to minimize the differential pressure on the windshield. Therefore, in the interest of the passengers’ safety and the aircraft, the pilots decided to return to Colombo for the replacement of the windshield.

Accordingly, the flight UL 503 returned to Bandaranaike International Airport at 1630hrs without incident.  Sri Lankan wishes to emphasise that it is the standard procedure for any airline to descend to 10, 000 ft to prevent the differential pressure on the windshield and at no stage the aircraft or the passengers’ safety was compromised.

Currently the investigations are underway to identify the exact reasons in order to prevent incidents of similar nature. Sri Lankan wishes to reiterate that the Airline always maintains the highest safety standards the industry requires, and considers the well-being of the passengers its foremost priority which under no circumstance will be compromised.

Source: Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

Sports, Sri Lanka Cricket Round-up

Sri Lanka Cricket Round-up (03/01/2014)

  • Mahinda registered an outright victory by 8 wickets beating Maliyadeva at Maliyadeva grounds, Kurunegala moments ago.

Batting first Maliyadeva scored 177 runs and Mahinda replied with 289 for 9 wickets with Dulash scoring an unbeaten hundred. In the second innings Maliyadeva were bowled out for 120 giving Mahinda a target of 9 runs. Mahinda lost 2 wickets getting the required runs. Tharuka took 4 wickets in the second innings, Malith Mahela and Thamith Kalhara 3 wickets each also in the second innings.

  • At Pannipitiya – Gurukula 264/10 & 196/10 and Dharmapala 296 all out (First innings win for Dharmapala
  •  At Asgiriya – Bandaranayake college Gampaha 116/10 & 109/10 and Trinity 271 for 8 dec (Trinity won by innings and 42 runs)
  • At Maliyadeva grounds – Maliyadeva 177/10 & 120/10 and Mahinda 289/9 & 10/2 (Mahinda won by 8 wickets)
  • At Pallekelle – St. Sylvester’s Kandy 345/10 & 65/4 and S.de S Jayasinghe vidyalaya 175/10 & 234/10 (St. Sylvester’s won by 6 wickets)
  • At Uyanwatte – Rahula 294/10 and P.de S. Kularatne vidyalaya Ambalangoda 104/10 & 129/10 (Rahula won by innings and 61 runs)
  • At Thurstan grounds – Thurstan 251/10 & 196/10 and Richmond 265/9 dec & 96/5 (First innings win for Richmond)
  • At Darley Rd – St Joseph’s 210/10 and St Sebastian’s 90/3 (day 1 close)
  • At Maradana – Zahira 239/10 and Lumbini 121/6 (day 1 close)
  • At DSS grounds – Prince of Wales 83/10 and D.S.Senanayake 187/8 (day 1 close)
  • At Mt. Lavinia – St. Benedict’s Kotahena 140/10 and St. Thomas’ 120/5 (day 1 close)
  • At Negombo – President’s Kotte 147/10 and Maris Stella 190/10 (day 1 close)
News

Lanka to benefit from EU GSP

Sri Lanka will stand to benefit from a reformed EU GSP scheme from this month, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a statement today.

The Ministry said that Sri Lanka has clinched the EU GSP trade benefit for 10 years with effect from 1st January 2014.

The Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen said that Sri Lanka is listed in the “Low and Lower Middle Income GSP beneficiaries” category in the new scheme.

The EU is the largest economy and the largest trading block in the world, acting as the top trading partner for no less than 80 countries.

EU is Sri Lanka’s largest global trading partner and holds clear promise for Sri Lankan exports. According to the Department of Commerce of Sri Lanka, there is an increasing trend in trade and the balance of trade between the EU and Sri Lanka has been in favour of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s major export items to the EU are apparel, diamonds, tea and rubber products. The EU is also one of the most diversified investors in Sri Lanka, with leading European companies operating in almost all sectors of economy-specially, FMCG, higher education, apparel, infrastructure, manufacturing, agro, technology and even in strategic development projects.

In June 2012, the EU redesigned its GSP scheme and as a result, the beneficiary countries were reduced from 177 to 90. Of the former 177 GSP beneficiaries, 90 countries will continue to benefit from GSP, with Sri Lanka among them.

Source: Colombo Gazette (Sri Lanka)

News

ජිනීවා යෝජනා කොපමණ ආවත් උතුරේ හමුදා ඉවත් කරන්නේ නෑ

ජිනීවා මානව හිමිකම් සමුළුවට කොපමණ යෝජනා ඉදිරිපත් කළත් උතුරේ සිටින 10000 ක භට සේනාව කිසි ලෙසකින්වත් ඉවත් නොකිරීමට රජය තීරණය කර ඇත.

බ්‍රිතාන්‍යය කැනඩාව සහ ඇමරිකාව විසින් ඉදිරිපත් කිරීමට නියමිතව ඇත්තේ උතුරේ යුද හමුදාව ඉවත්කර ගත යුතුයි යන ඉල්ලීම ප්‍රමුඛ යෝජනාවක්‌ බව රජයට වාර්තාවී තිබේ. මේ කිසිදු බටහිර රටක්‌ සමග අපේ ආරක්‍ෂාව ගැන එකඟතාවකට නොඑන බව රජයේ ඉහළ පෙළේ ආරංචි මාර්ග ඊයේ (2 දා) පැවැසීය.

බටහිර තානාපතිවරු කිහිප දෙනකු ඉදිරි කාලය තුළ යාපනයට ගොස්‌ උතුරේ හමුදාව රැඳී සිටීම ගැන නිරීක්‍ෂණය කිරීමට සැලසුම් කර ඇති බවද රජයට වාර්තාවී ඇත. එහි මුල් පියවරක්‌ ලෙස දකුණු අප්‍රිකානු තානාපති ජියෝප්‍රි ඩියොඩ් යාපනයට ගොස්‌ ඇත.

කීර්ති වර්ණකුලසූරිය

Source: Divaina (Sri Lanka) 

Sports, Sri Lanka Cricket Round-up

Sri Lanka Cricket Round-up (02/01/2014)

Score updates after First day’s play.
  • At Pannipitiya Gurukula 264 allout and Dharmapala 98 for 1
  • At Asgiriya Bandaranayake college Gampaha 116 all out and Trinity 271 for 8
  •  At Maliyadeva grounds Maliyadeva 177 all out and Mahinda 156 for 3
  •  At Pallekelle St. Sylvester’s Kandy 345 all out and S.de S Jayasinghe vidyalaya 77 for 4
  • At Uyanwatte Rahula 294 all out and P.de S. Kularatne Vidyalaya Ambalangoda 37 for 2
  • At Thurstan grounds Thurstan 251 all out and Richmond 145 for 2
Latest Events

Buddhism Courses 2014

BUDDHISM IN DAILY LIFE

LONDON BUDDHIST VIHARA

A ten week course is starting Thursday 9th January 2014.

Every Thursday 7.00 to 9.00 pm.

Ten classes which focus on the application of the Buddha’s teachings to our life in the everyday world.

9th  January:
The Criteria of Good and Bad, and the Buddhist Concept of Evil 16 January Precepts for laity and monks, and discipline for monks.

23rd January:
Four divine virtues (Brahma Viharas). 30 January Generosity (Dana).

6th February:
Layman’s duties towards his associates (Part I).

13th February
Layman’s duties towards his associates (Part II).

20th February
The importance of family life.

27th February
Dispelling fear and worry.

6th March
Ecology and economic welfare.

13th March
Bodhisatta ideals.

Tutor: Richard Jones

How to enrol: Enrol at the class on the first day of attendance

Fees: No charge, donations are welcome

Venue: London Buddhist Vihara, The Avenue, Chiswick, London W4 1UD.

Phone: 020 8995 9493.

Nearest tube: Turnham Green (District Line)

Foreign Business

Colombo’s First 3 Elevator Automated System Car Parking

Platinum 1,Colombo’s elite lifestyle destination which redefines exclusive luxury living standards achieved a major milestone with the unveiling of Sri Lanka’s first ever multi-elevator automated system car park.

“This is the first and one-of-its-kind car parking system in Sri Lanka,” said Kishore D. Reddy, Managing Director of Platinum 1. “This automated valet car parking system has 216 parking slots at Platinum 1 alone and takes a matter of few minutes to park or bring a vehicle back.”

Platinum 1, the world class real estate high-rise to join the ever expanding skyline of Colombo unveiled the latest elevator parking system at its address No 1,Bagatelle Road recently. The top notch architectural edifice Platinum 1 is a fusion of business cum residential hub within the cosmopolitan city of Colombo.

The “Automated valet car parking system” a sophisticated automated parking system based on Korean technology by the Korean based company Costec is also the highest density of parking based on number of units in Sri Lanka. The system offers residents the comfort of driving their vehicles into designated elevators which the system transports to an available parking slot that can be summoned automatically with a password or a swipe of a card. Three high speed elevators, two of which would be exclusively for the use of the residents is another convenient factor.

This state-of-the-art CPM elevator type car parking system was put to the test when the CEO of Costec and its Director of overseas projects were here in Sri Lanka this past week. Costec the makers of this multi-elevator automated parking system have successfully installed 9.000 parking lots acrossAsia. Their projects are scattered across South Korea,Singapore,Thailand,India and have embarked on their first project inUSA.

“Platinum 1 challenges anyone who claims it would take even a minute longer than 3 minutes for us to bring their vehicle down,” said Kishore Reddy. “There are even spare parts located within the complex to ensure that residents face no delay in parking or leaving the building.” Echoing his sentiments, the Korean counterparts who were in Sri Lanka to inspect the system explained confidently that the system has a zero to none fault ratio.

The residential section spread across 1, 40,000 square feet of prime real estate will comprise of 4 luxuriously penthouses and 66 aesthetically appointed residential apartments.  The ultra-modern penthouses spread across the top 2 floors have been designed with local architectural sensibilities and international style in mind. Residents of these super luxury apartments will enjoy panoramic ocean views and breathtaking sunsets and many value added facilities such as personal plunge pools, elegant fixtures and fittings of unparalleled quality featuring high end brands like Siemens, Vitra, Fuji, Bosini, Nolte, Sanyo, Etc

The Ground to Third floor of the building houses 60,000 square feet of commercial space offering maximum visibility and accessibility, home presently to premium retail establishments such as Mango, Charles & Keith and Nike to name a few, with  future plans to attract  other global brands in- line  with the high end image of the complex.

A landmark construction

Due to the increase in seismic activity globally, Platinum 1 has taken extra care by providing additional protection against seismic activity using post tension construction for the first time in a residential unit in Sri Lanka. This also eliminates beams in the structure and reduces load on the foundation.

Another unique feature of Platinum 1 is the use of autoclave aerated cellular bricks for the first time in Sri Lanka in the construction process. Not only do they act as insulation against sound pollution but they also act as a very effective fire retardant.

About Platinum1:

Platinum 1 is developed by Platinum Realty Investment (Pvt) Ltd, a US$ 20 million company driven by capital investment from reputed Sri Lankan investors and foreign direct investments from India based Paharpur Cooling Towers Group and Pragnya Fund, a Mauritius based Private Equity Fund.

Paharpur Cooling Towers is the world leader in Cooling Tower industry which diversified into real estate by developing the 2 million square foot apartment complex ‘Gennex Valley’ at Kolkata,India.

Pragnya Fund has an established track record of being a committed real estate investor who developed HSBC Centers in Colombo, Vizag and Kolkata. Their project portfolio contains multiple prominent projects such as L&TTechParkinKochi,L& TSouth Cityin Chennai, Habitat Crest inBangaloreand VGN Hazel at Chennai.

Paharpur Realty, in partnership with Pragnya Fund is currently developing “Gennex Towers” and “Gennex Exotica” modern townships with approximately 2,000 residential units.  Renowned architects Manitayakul Associates of Thailand and Design Advocacy of Sri Lanka have collaborated to bring you Opulence at your Doorstep.

Platinum1
Contact: www.platinum1.lk,
Phone: 07878-11111, info@platinum1.lk

News, SL Media UK

Chief Minister Wigneswaran meets President Rajapaksa

[By Janaka Alahapperuma]

Chief Minister of the Northern Province C. V. Wigneswaran met President Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning (02 January) at Temple Trees.

The President’s Office press release stated that both parties discussed some practical problems prevailing in the North and the ways and means relating to administration at the discussion. The Chief Minister and the President had a cordial discussion and also exchanged pleasantries at the meeting.

Secretary to President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to Cabinet Sumith Abeysinghe, the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Dr. P.B. Jayasundaraand representing Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M.A Sumanthiran were also present.

Pix by – Nalin Hewapathirana

Classifieds, House and Property

MALABE LAND WITH A HOUSE / BARE LAND

Malabe valuable land of 80P with architect designed up-stair House with 4 bedrooms, 2 pantries, terrazzo and tiled floors, pipe borne and well water, 9ft high parapet wall, 2 gates with 2 different access to the land,. 250m and 100m away from Malabe Town through each access, well secured, calm and quiet surrounding with respectable neighbourhood.

Possible to buy 40P with house and 40P bare  land separately.

PRICE: £ 196000 (Whole Property)

Please contact : 0094 727123792 (Sri Lanka) 00447810124495(UK)

Email:  careerpointsl@gmail.com

UK Community News & Photos

Greetings from the London Buddhist Vihara

 

 

 

Dear Devotees and Friends,

We would like to wish you a happy, peaceful, healthy and prosperous New Year 2014. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking you for all the generous help and support that you have shown the London Buddhist Vihara over the year 2013. It is much appreciated by all members of the Sangha! We would also like to offer your family and yourself the Blessings of the Noble Triple Gem for the new year.

With Metta,
Venerable Seelawimala
Head Monk,

Ven. T. Bandula
Ven. K. Ariyaratana
Ven. K. Kassapa

London Buddhist Vihara,
The Avenue, London W4 1UD

News

Stop cattle slaughter

Minister Mervyn Silva made a pledge before the deity at the historic Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya that, he would ensure that cattle slaughter is completely halted in Sri Lanka.

Minister of Public Relations and Public Affairs, Mervyn Silva,made this pledge yesterday near the Wahalakade west door of the…
Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya whilst attending a function to inaugurate Sinharamulla Gramiya Bank – a multi service cooperative.

The Minister had said: “I came to Colombo from Beliatta in 1970. I came along with the children of the late D.A. Rajapaksa. About four years ago, I was appointed the Kelaniya Organizer of the SLFP of the Rajapaksas. As a Minister, I shall never change tracks. I wish to inform you that my Coordinating Secretary, Amal Rodrigo, will cease taking part in politics as of today. And while some of the developments I carried out in Kelaniya may have halted midway, this does not mean that anyone can appropriate the credit for the work I have done for Kelaniya.

“I was responsible for putting up the Kelanitissa Bridge which so many political leaders had been unable to accomplish for the last 40 years. The flyover at Thorana junction in Kelaniya was also constructed by me. When the Waragoda Road was being widened, an ex-judge opposed it. It was I who dared to break down his wall and widen the road. Even the wall of the former elections commissioner’s house was destroyed by me on behalf of the people and I developed the road. It is the father and not the workers in the house who should name the children. I will face any tsunami. My hair has still not turned grey.

“Among the Mahanayakes I revere, the Mahanayake of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya is one. I greatly honour him. He is a prelate who does not talk unnecessary things, and has a backbone. When I was appointed the SLFP organizer and I came to Kelaniya, it was this Mahanayake who offered pansil to me. I hold all that in my memory with gratitude.
“During our childhood, our parents did not allow us to play with dogs, cats or cattle. I would cut off a pol piththa (coconut stem and leaf) and tie a rope, and play with it. That coconut stem has no life. I see my enemies like that coconut stem.

“I went to Munneswaram and stopped the animal sacrifices. Vas kavi was recited against me. They dashed coconuts on the ground; yet no harm befell me. When I was constructing the Kelaniya Shri Krishnu Upulwan Devalaya, they warned me to not build it as it will imperil me. But I did not heed that.
“The war ended with the completion of the construction of the devalaya. No leader of any government could build this devalaya. Because of the assistance given by the President, I could complete the construction.

“Today I am standing on this ground and making this pledge while looking at the deity of the Kelaniya. That pledge is that cattle slaughter in Sri Lanka shall be stopped. Towards this end, everyone’s support is necessary. I shall commence discussions with the Mahanayakes as well as Catholic, Muslim and Hindu religious dignitaries in this connection. No matter who says what, I shall move ahead with my discussions with the religious dignitaries.”

By Karunadasa Vithanagamage

Source: Ceylon Today (Sri Lanka)