Quick Look

Blood donation campaign

A blood donation campaign organized by the Law students’ Buddhist Brotherhood of the Sri Lanka Law College and the Colombo Law Society will be held on March 18 from 9.00 a.m. onwards at the Sri Lanka Law College.

Public lecture

A public lecture on “Media Power in Shaping Opinion - Lessons for Muslims” organised by Sri Lanka Jama’ ath-e-Islamic will be held today at 6.45 p.m. at Darul Iman, No. 77, Dematagoda Road, Colombo 09. The lecture will be delivered by journalist, Deputy Editor, Daily Mirror/Sunday Times Ameen Izzadeen.

Annual convention

The Annual Convention of the All Ceylon Union of Muslim League Youth Front (ACUMLYF) will be held on March 21 at the Nagarodaya Centre, No. 155, Baseline Road, Borella, Colombo 8.

The general session of the members will begin at 9.00 a.m. and the special ceremonial session will be held at 3.00 p.m. Education Minister Susil Premajayantha and Deputy Leader of the UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya will be the Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour. Muslim Ministers, MPs and Ambassadors of Muslim countries will also grace the occasion.

Senior members of the ACUMLYF will be felicitated at the evening session. Fahima Jainul Abdeen of Kinniya who became all Island first in the G.C.E. (A/L) Examination, 2008 in the Arts stream will also be felicitated.

Invasive plants ruin environment

Raja Waidyasekera, Tissamaharama special corr

The Parthenium, an invasive plant that grows in abundance in Lunugamwehera Tissamaharama DS areas is causing great destruction to the environment.

The botanists say that this plant belongs to the sunflower species and poses a threat to all cultivations including fruits and vegetables.It has spread to parts of Lunugamwehera, Suriyawewa, Tissamaharama and Kirinda areas.

The authorities who are aware of the danger of this invasive plant observe silence for reasons not known.

Brinjals for elephants

Mahaweli system correspondent

Two tractor loads of brinjals dumped in the Pigampathana forest off Dambulla became a great delicacy for a herd of wild elephants on Friday, March 6.

The report said that bulk loads of brinjals reached the Dambulla Economic Centre on ‘Friday’, and as a result, a kilogram of the vegetable had gone down to a very low price of Rs. 7.00.

The two tractor loads of brinjal dumped in the Pigampathana forest had been taken away from, the ‘economic centre’ to the forest, according to the report.

Pensioners reject holiday resort

Mahinda P. Liyanage Galle Central special correspondent

The decision of the Department of Pensions to construct a holiday resort for pensioners at Ramboda Ella in Nuwara Eliya has come under fire of the pensioners in Galle. The rejection has been reflected in a resolution unanimously adopted at a recent meeting of Galle Four Gravet Association of Government Pensioners Trust.

The resolution vehemently opposes the arbitrary deduction of Rs. 50 from the February Pension 2009 of each pensioner without prior notice and condemns the idea of construction of a holiday resort in an extremely cold climate citing the project as an impracticable move.

It was further decided to inform the Director of Pensions on the matters contained in the proposal.

Visitors to National Park increase

Raja Waidyasekera Tissamaharama special corr

The arrival of tourists and sight seers to Lunugamwehera National Park has now risen two folds, the Park Warden said.

He said that the park is in extent of 23,499 hectares. The National Park was set up in 1995.

The huge reservoir in the Lunugamwehera Park provides drinking water without a shortage to the wild beasts.

Launching of Legal Aid sector report today

The launching of the report on “Legal Aid Sector in Sri Lanka; Searching for Sustainable Solutions” will be held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute Lecture Hall on March 16 at 2.15 p.m.

The welcome address will be delivered by Constitutional Affairs and National Integration Ministry Secretary and Project Director of the Access to Justice UNDP Malkanthi Wickremasinghe.

The Key note address will be delivered by Justice and Law Reforms Ministry Secretary Suhada Gamlath.

The Panel Discussions will be held by Legal Aid Commission Chairman S. S. Wijeratne. President of the Judicial Services Association Judge of District Court Gampola Ms. Afra Thassim. BASL Secretary U. R. de Silva, Senior State Counsel Ms. Viveka Siriwardena, Chief Executive Officer, Sarvodaya Legal Aid Services Shevon Gunarathne.

Blood donation

The Old Boy’s Association of the Asoka Vidyalaya, Maradana, has organised blood donation camp for the valiant soldiers on thursday, March 19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Vidyalaya hall.

Lecture

Dr. Donald E. Smith, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, University of Pennysylvania will deliver a lecture on ‘The Obama Phenomenon: Post-Racism in the United States’ on Wednesday, March 18 at 5.30 p.m. at the ICES, 2, Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 8. Prof. Smith has published extensively on politics and religion. His main works are India as a Secular State; Religion and Politics in Burma; South Asian Politics and Religions; Religion and Political Development; Social Change in the Third World; Religion and Political Modernisation.

Public seminar

The Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI) in collaboration with the Institute of Management of Sri Lanka to conduct a public seminar on ‘Global Economic Crisis and Sri Lanka’ at the SLFI on Thursday, March 19 from 5 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Saman Kelegama, Executive Director of the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka.

Research symposium

The NILIS Research Symposium - 2009, will be held on March 20 and 21 at the National Institute of Library and Information Sciences (NILIS), University of Colombo.

Minister of Higher Education Prof. Wiswa Warnapala, will be the chief guest while Prof. Gamini Samaranayake, Chairman, UGC and Prof. Kshanika Hirimburegama, Vice Chancellor, University of Colombo will be the guests of honour at the inauguration. The theme of the symposium is ‘Information; The Resource to be Harnessed’.