When fighting in the international arena, one should know that the only way to survive is to constantly build new coalitions while strengthening and maintaining the existing ones. Due to its belonging to the Non Aligned Movement and to the various 'Gs' (G77, G15), but also due to its long standing friendships with key countries such as Russia, China and India, Sri Lanka was so far able to keep close ties with the predominant coalitions present within international organizations; close enough to overcome the post-war international pressures in 2009 but not sufficient to maintain a prolonged legitimacy on the Geneva battlefield.

A Sri Lankan court on Thursday extended the imprisonment of 30 fishermen from Rameswaram who were arrested by the island nation's navy on April 6. The Mannar court, which heard their case on Thursday, extended the remand till April 26 and the fishermen were locked up again in Anuradhapuram prison. While the fishers expected that the court may order their release on Thursday, sources from Sri Lanka expressed their apprehensions stating there is enormous pressure on the authorities and fishermen associations to take stringent action against the Indian trawlers poaching in their waters.

The government that was marking time making up various stories regarding increasing the electricity tariff, finally increased the electricity tariff with effect from the 12th.  The government continued to say that electricity tariff would be increased in a manner that would not burden the masses. The President wished masses for the new year. Everything was done according to auspicious times and the government commenced work for the New Year by increasing the electricity tariff. As such this year cannot be an auspicious one for the masses.

This was stated by the General Secretary of the JVP Tilvin Silva at the special media conference held at the head office of the party at Pelawatta today (18th).

The era when graduates suffered due to unemployment has come to an end, Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake said.

Addressing a ceremony at Dawulagala D B Wijetunga Conference Hall to grant permanent appointment letters to newly recruited graduate trainees to the public service in Udu Nuwara Divisional Secretariat Division recently, the minister said public servants account for 14 percent of the total number of workers in Sri Lanka.

Investigation extracts in connection with the murder of Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha member (UPFA), Hasitha Madawala, have been submitted to the Attorney General, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed the Mahara Magistrate, yesterday.

The observation was made by CID Inspector, Madhava Gunawardena, when the Court inquiry into the murder case was taken up for hearing before Acting Magistrate, K. Viranga.

The government is still awaiting the participation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in the Parliamentary Select Committee, Government MP Namal Rajapaksa said.

He said this in a tweet in response to a question posed to him on formulating a solution to the Tamil issue.

The MP also said that all Sri Lankans have suffered as a result of the war and the government will not allow it to happen again.

The responsibility of using electricity economically rests solely with the people. Sri Lanka can produce only 20 percent of its electricity requirements through hydro power plants and the rest is generated by the expensive thermal power plants. Therefore, it is essential to reduce the electricity consumption and thereby save the huge foreign exchange spent on oil imports.

This was stated by Minister of Mass Media and Information Keheliya Rambukwella addressing the cabinet decisions announcement media conference held at the Media Ministry yesterday.

The government says its philosophy is that reconciliation is not about finding culprits to punish but undertaking a process of healing.

This was said at the UN General Assembly by Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York Dr. Palitha Kohona.

He says excessive external pressure is being piled on Sri Lanka to conclude the process of investigating allegations to the exclusion of all else even though similar situations in other countries have taken much longer.

During the National New Year when the Sinhala and Tamil communities came together for festivities of deep unity in diversity it was sad to hear of yet another attack on the Jaffna-based Tamil newspaper ‘Uthayan’. This attack, the 16th since 2006, on the leading Tamil newspaper in the North was a clear sign of the lawlessness or total breakdown of the rule of law in the country and the government’s failure to turn the LTTE defeat into lasting peace, reconciliation and justice for the people in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Following a series of agitations against the garbage dump in Meethotamulla, Environment and Renewable Energy Ministry expects to introduce a new technology to use solid waste in the construction of highways and expressways.

Environment and Renewable Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha said that the country would adopt pollution free technology to construct highways by using a specially produced variety of gravel through recycling of solid waste as done in some other countries.