Category: Economy

Sri Lanka will join the elite band of 25 countries that have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding with world watchdog for securities markets, IOSCO. The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) is the global standard setting body, regulating more than 90 percent of world securities markets.rn rnFollowing an annual conference in 2002, IOSCO drew up […]

The UNF claims the JVP faction in the Freedom Alliance has rejected international aid agency assistance and is quoted saying it would also control imports. rnrn rnThe claims came on Friday, as the UNF builds up more ammunition against its key competition in the upcoming April polls – the Freedom Alliance. rn rnUNFs Dr. Karunasena […]

Scandinavian truce monitors held talks with Sri Lankas Tamil Tigers as a rift within the rebel leadership threatened to undermine an already fragile ceasefire, officials said. The head of the Norwegian-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Trond Furuhovde had a hastily arranged meet with the political wing leader of Tamil Tigers, S.P. Thamilselvan in the […]

America has pledged more peace and development oriented funds for Sri Lanka as it rolled out its South Asia assistance plan for the coming financial year. Most of the funds will be broadly for ldblquote short-term, high impact programs that are both an incentive to peace, and a boost to reconstruction and reconciliation in war […]

Development projects are on track but are slowing down because of jittery foreign investors says the UNF.rnrnldblquote Whatever projects that were initiated by the UNF government are still going on but progress of these projects have slowed down because foreign investors are moving very slowly, dblquote said Minister of Lands, Rajitha Senaratne at the UNF […]

Buddhist monks launched their formal drive for Sri Lankas parliament from a historic temple town Tuesday with a vow to cleanse politics and restore “ultimate peace”. The saffron-robed monks chanted prayers here before being driven to the islands holiest Buddhist shrine, the Temple of the Tooth, in the central town of Kandy, 112 kilometres (72 […]

Gunmen have shot dead a political activist in eastern Sri Lanka in a second murder believed to be related to next months elections, police said Tuesday. The attackers gunned down Ponniah Yogendran, 28, from the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) in the district of Batticaloa on Monday night, police said.rn rnThe EPDP said the slaying […]

Getting its campaign on the road, on Monday the UNF asked Sri Lankas 12 million voters to decide between clarity and chaos at the April polls.Citing the lack of consensus within the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) on peace process fundamentals, the UNF called on voters to decide between the stability of clearly mapped out […]

The red-blue Alliance says the UNF failed to deliver on its promises, its only success was in delivering misery to the People. Alliance members on Monday accused the UNF for letting prices of essential goods rise out of control, especially as the cost of food, fuel, medicines, travel, water and electricity among other commodities shot […]

Moderate Tamils warned Monday they would declare independence from Sri Lanka unless the government that came to power after snap April elections revived peace talks with Tamil Tigers.The warning came as gunmen shot dead an ethnic Tamil candidate, the first to be killed in the run-up to the polls.rn rnThe Tamil National Alliance, which includes […]

The Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna says it will re-negotiate the US$ 567 mn structural loan facility with the IMF, when it comes to power next month.The IMFs concessionary loan package endash the largest ever granted to Sri Lanka last April endash was to be disbursed in equal tranches of US$ 81 mn over a three-year […]

Sri Lankas Buddhist clergy Monday accused President Chandrika Kumaratungas Marxist allies of launching a “smear campaign” against them in the run up to parliamentary elections. The Marxist JVP, or Peoples Liberation Front, which partnered with Kumaratungas Freedom Alliance for the snap April 2 polls, had began clandestinely distributing pamphlets protesting the entry of clergy into […]