Category: Economy and Markets

For Sri Lankas President Chandrika Kumaratunga running the country is like a family business, but she is taking a gamble at next weeks snap election that could decide the destiny of her dynasty. The daughter of two prime ministers, Kumaratunga, who has been president for 10 years, has surprised her closest allies with political manoeuvering […]

Despite a slew of recent opinion polls showing a significant lack of confidence in the UNF running of the economy, the party believes a societal shift in voter thinking can still push crucial votes their way.The run up to the April elections has seen a flood of opinion polls by research organisations and NGOs, almost […]

Sri Lankas political stage is a muddle of fish, eagles, trishaws, trees, mammoties, electric bulbs, coconuts and many more, all convinced they could do a better job running the country than the government or the main opposition. Splitting up the vote bank at the April 2 polls they may be, but Sri Lankas mushrooming political […]

The UNF threatened to reduce import duties on commodities, starting with sugar, if local traders start hoarding goods to increase prices. rnThe import duty on sugar was reduced with immediate effect on Friday to control a surge in sugar prices in the local market.rn rnThe price of a kilogram of sugar went up from Rs […]

The Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is marrying its past with the present, to give the party its first significant political victory next month.ldblquote We did not take part in active politics for 34 years. We watched and we saw what was happening.Things were getting so bad, we decided to return to support the JVP […]

Denying news reports of supporting a split in the Tamil Tigers, the United States on Wed. pledged US$ 600,000 in assistance to help election monitoring activities during next months poll.US ambassador Jeffrey J Lunstead said that the US had nothing to do with the unprecedented break up of the LTTE ahead of the April 2 […]

Despite an independent police commission in place, local officers continue to harass and torture innocent victims, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) said Wednesday.In its second report on torture by the police in Sri Lanka, titled Endemic torture and the collapse of policing in Sri Lanka, the report describes 31 recent cases of torture or […]

Tamil Tiger guerrillas have begun pouring fighters along a district border in northeastern Sri Lanka, heightening fears of a showdown with renegades, the rival faction said.rnThe main Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has built up its strength to about 400 fighters by deploying an additional 85 cadres since Sunday along the banks of the […]

The United National Party says it is seeking a 130-seat majority in parliament to continue its program based on a strong peace platform.UNP says its work program, released on Monday in place of the traditional manifesto, will create 8 per cent growth and three million jobs.rn rnComparing the government to a farmer UNP leader and […]

The Freedom Alliance unveiled its manifesto promising to stop the tide of privatisations most of which were initiated by the previous PA administration, a party to the alliance.The UPFA says road, rail, petroleum, electricity, ports and airports, water and state banks will not be privatised.rn rnThe party says instead they will strengthen the governments role […]