Quick Look

Old habits die hard

Christie FERNANDO- Chilaw special correspondent

A 90-year-old man with 30 previous convictions who had robbed Rs 1,109 by breaking a church-till from a place of worship dedicated to Mother Mary at Marawila junction was sentenced to one year's rigorous imprisonment and imposed a Rs 1,000 fine and in default, six month's rigorous imprisonment by Marawila District Judge and Magistrate Nirosha Fernando.

The accused is W. Joseph Alexander.

According to the accused's record of fingerprints registered, his first conviction had been traced to 1964 and his last conviction was in 2008.

Lakshman Hewapanna, New Rural Economic Division Director

Sri Lanka planning in service Grade One Senior Officer Lakshman Hewapanna has been appointed the National Economic Development Ministry’s Rural Economic Division Director General.

Hewapanna served as the Director of Planning for 23 years in the Gampaha District. Cabinet approved Hewapanna’s appointment from July 1 on National Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s recommendation.

New AFDA Chairman

Attorney-at-Law Palitha Gamage has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Urban Facilities Development Authority (AFDA).

Gamage is a Colombo University Law Faculty graduate and he has been practising as a lawyer in Civil and Appeal Courts since 1995. He is the Colombo District Lawyers’ Association Chairman.

Drivers quarrel ends in death of one

Sandasen MARASINGHE

A lorry driver has allegedly killed another lorry driver on Monday evening following a quarrel broke out when one asked to make way to drive his lorry forward, Police said.

The suspect has allegedly assaulted the deceased on his head with a shovel at Dematagoda. The deceased was identified as Pahalagollage Ariyapala (65) of Gnanavimala road, Dematagoda. The suspect was identified as a 43 year old lorry driver residing at Parakrama Mawatha, Peliyagoda. The victim died on admission to the Colombo National Hospital. The suspect was taken into custody and Dematagoda Police is investigating.

Awards ceremony

The Diploma awards ceremony of the Sri Lanka Tourism and Hotel Management Institute will be held at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo on July 20 under the patronage of Economic Development Deputy Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene.

Sanjanani 2010

Dinesh DE ALWIS

The annual media festival Sanjanani 2010 organized by the Department of Mass Communication, Kelaniya University for the eighth consecutive year was formally opened yesterday by Social Science Faculty, Dean, Prof. Chandrasiri Rajapakse and Mass Communication Department Head, Prof. Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa. The theme of the festival is Development and Media. The festival consists of various aesthetic activities, debates, school workshop, musical shows and short films. Sanjanani will be open on July 14 and 15.

Tests for SMAS officers

A computer literacy test and efficiency bar test for grade III officers of the state management assistance service (SMAS) will be held on July 17 by the Examination Department. The examination will be held in 32 examination centres in 13 cities.

Examinations Commissioner General Anura Edirisinghe says around 4,000 candidates will sit for the exam. Admission cards of the examination have been sent to the applicants by post. Those who have not received admission cards can contact the education department overseas examination branch over 011-2785230

Symposium on Ramayana Trail

The Royal Asiatic Society will organize a symposium on the tourist authority ‘Ramayana Trail’ on July 17 at the Mahaweli Centre Gamini Dissanayake Auditorium.

Presentations will be delivered in English and Sinhala by Gaston Perera on Tourist Authority’s Ramayana Trail. Ven Hegoda Vipassi Thera will speak on trails in refuting the Ramayana Trail. Prof. Tissa Kariyawasam’s address will be on Ramayana in Sinhalese Literature.

Inaugural concert

The Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka (SOSL) will present the Inaugural Junior Symphony Orchestra (JSO) Concert, conduced by Ananda Dabare, the leader of the SOSL and one of its co-conductors, on July 24 at 7.00 p.m. at the Lionel Wendt Theater.

Entrance will be by program, available at the Symphony Orchestra office at 83, Dickman’s Road, Colombo 5.

Pirith, alms-giving

The Chairman and staff of the National Insurance Trust Fund has organized a pirith chanting on July 16 and an alms-giving on the following for 25 Buddhist monks to invoke blessings on the President, who is also the Finance Minister for his 40 years of dedicated service to the nation and as a tribute to our gallant Security Forces personnel and fallen war heroes.