News

 List of State Ministers:

Palitha Range Bandara - State Minister of Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management and Disaster Management

Dilip Wedaarachchi - State Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development and Rural Economy

M.L.A.M. Hizbullah - State Minister of Highways and Road Development

Mohan Lal Grero - State Minister of Higher Education and Cultural Affairs

A.D. Champika Premadasa - State Minister of Plantation Industries

Lakshman Senewiratne - State Minister of Public Administration and Management, and Law and Oder

Sriyani Wijewickrama - State Minister of Sports, Provincial Councils and Local Government

Weerakumara Dissanayake - State Minister of Mahaweli Development

List of Deputy Ministers:

Karunarathna Paranawithana - Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Research, Skills Development and Vocational Training, and Hill Country Heritage

Ameer Ali Shihabdeen - Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development and Rural Economy

Dunesh Gankanda - Deputy Minister of Lands and Parliamentary Reforms

Ranjan Ramanayake - Deputy Minister of Social Empowerment

Sarathie Dushmantha - Deputy Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms

Palitha Kumara Thewarapperuma - Deputy Minister of Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Regional Development

Manusha Nanayakkara - Deputy Minister of Telecommunication, Digital Infrastructure and Foreign Employment

Muthu Sivalingam - Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Wayamba Development

Seyed Ali Zahir Moulana - Deputy Minister of National Integration, Reconciliation and Official Languages

H.M.M. Harees - Deputy Minister of Public Enterprise and Kandy Development

First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Serbia, Ivica Dacic will be in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal from May 2-8, the Serbian Foreign Ministry has announced. 

Dacic will be meeting with top officials from Sri Lanka with a view to strengthening overall bilateral relations. Furthermore, many agreements on modalities for improving cooperation in all areas of mutual interest will be on the agenda of the expected meetings. 

The visit to these countries will also be an opportunity for the first deputy prime minister to present the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, as well as to convey the gratitude of the government of Serbia for their support to the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of our country, the statement said.

IP Rangajeewa of the Police Narcotics Bureau and Commissioner General of Prisons Emil Ranjan who was arrested and remanded in connection to the Welikada massacre are said to be housed in the prison hospital without instructions from the Courts or Medical recommendation. 

Reports claim that despite not suffering from any ailment they are being allowed to stay in the prison hospital according to the orders of the SUprintend of the prison. 

According to sources top officials of the prison are currently giving preferential treatment to the duo.

Customs authorities in Sri Lanka arrested a Chinese woman who landed at the Katunayake international airport in Colombo for attempting to smuggle in Chinese cigarettes valued at USD 88,548.

She had tried to pass through the channel for visitors with nothing to declare.

Officials from Sri Lanka Customs said that she was the fourth Chinese to be arrested in April at Colombo's airport.

The 44-year-old woman, who had arrived from Dubai, was apprehended with more than 100 cartons containing 20,980 sticks of cigarettes on Friday, customs officials said. She was fined and the illegal cigarettes were confiscated.

On Saturday, April 14, a Chinese man was arrested while attempting to smuggle in cigarettes valued at Rs. 1.4 million at the airport. Customs spokesman Deputy Director Sunil Jayaratne said the suspect aged 44, arrived from Singapore. He was arrested with 28,000 sticks (140 cartons) of cigarettes.

On Thursday, April 12, two Chinese were arrested while attempting to smuggle in cigarettes valued at LKR 2.2 million into Sri Lanka.

Oil prices inched higher on Monday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel had proof that Iran lied about its nuclear weapons program.

The Brent Crude benchmark fell to $72.91 early on Monday, but rallied to as high as $75.34 in later-day trading after Netanyahu cited thousands of documents that Israel had obtained which showed Iran had lied repeatedly and “brazenly.”

In a succinct phrase that’s more indicative of U.S. President Donald Trump, Netanyahu said in a televised address “I’m here to tell you one thing: Iran lied. Big time.”

Specifically, Israel is claiming that Iran lied when it said it did not have a “comprehensive program to design, build, and test nuclear weapons.” Netanyahu went on to say in the address that Tehran’s Project Amad was designed to produce five warheads, each with a 10 kiloton TNT yield—warheads that could be placed onto a missile.

Netanyahu called on President Trump to “do the right thing”—a comment that is particularly poignant given the May 12 deadline for issuing yet another sanctions waiver to Iran.

The approaching May 12 deadline and the very real possibility that President Trump will not grant Iran another waiver has kept oil prices supported in recent weeks, and today’s accusations regarding Tehran’s nuclear inclinations sent prices even higher as analysts estimate that Iranian sanctions could add between $2 and $10 per barrel to oil prices this year, according to a Bloomberg poll.

Netanyahu’s prodding of President Trump may prove to be unnecessary, as President Trump warned in January when he waived the sanctions that it was the last such waiver.

Should the Iranian nuclear deal fall apart, it could remove anywhere from 200,000 bpd to 1 million bpd from the market.

The new Cabinet was sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo a short while ago.  Deputy Ministers and State Ministers are scheduled to be sworn in tomorrow (02).

Mahinda Amaraweera - Minister of Agriculture 

Sarath Amunugama - Minister of Science, Technology and Research, Skills Development and Vocational Training, and Hill Country Heritage

Lakshman Kiriella - Minister of Public Enterprise and Kandy Development 

Duminda Dissanayake - Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management and Disaster Management

S. B Navinna - Minister of Internal Affairs and Wayamba Development 

Faiszer Musthapha - Minister of Sports, Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government

Thalatha Athukorala -  Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms 

Ranjith Maddumabandara - Minister of Public Administration and Management,  Minister of Law and Order 

Kabir Hashim - Minister of Highways and Road Development

P. Harrison - Minister of Social Empowerment

Daya Gamage - Minister of Social Welfare and Primary Industries

Mano Ganesan - Minister of National Co-existence, Reconciliation and Official Languages

Sagala Ratnayake - Minister of Project Management, Youth Affairs and Southern Development 

D.M. Swaminathan -  Minister of Rehabilitation, Resettlement, Northern Development and Hindu Religious Affairs

Vijith Vijayamuni Zoysa - Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development and Rural Economy

Wijedasa Rajapakshe -  Minister of Higher Education and Cultural Affairs

Ravindra Samaraweera - Minister of Labour and Trade Union Relations

Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka - Minister of Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Regional Development

The newly designed official newsletter of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) has been launched. Named as “Samagiya” (Unity), the newsletter has focused on the programmes and activities conducted by ONUR in order to enhance the national unity and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. It is a quarterly newsletter published in Sinhala, Tamil and English.

Achieving national unity and reconciliation was a key feature of the January 2015 Presidential campaign. To give effect to this commitment, the Government of Sri Lanka established the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR). The resolution was moved by the Prime Minister, approved by the Cabinet, established under President and chaired by Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.
 
The latest issue of newsletter can be viewed at www.onur.gov.lk   

President Maithripala Sirisena pardoned 432 prisoners serving time around the country for minor offences on the occasion of Vesak.

Prisons Department spokesperson Thushara Upuldeniya said 432 short-term prisoners who were detained in 29 prisons in the country and had failed to pay their fines, were released on the pardon of President Maithripala Sirisena.

Four women are among the prisoners released, the Prison official said. The President has given the order after the Ministry of Prisons Reforms recommended the release.
 
Source : Colombo Page

The Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens welcomed a male and a female green anaconda from the Sri Lanka National Zoo on Sunday under the animal exchange programme after a gap of of six years.

Divulging details about the reptiles reaching the zoo, C Ravishankar, director of the Mysuru Zoo, said, "The reptiles aged about four years were flown in from Sri Lanka to Bengaluru on the night of April 28 and reached their enclosure at the Mysuru Zoo in the early hours of April 29. They have been housed at the quarantine enclosure at the zoo."

Affirming that the health condition of the reptiles is stable, he said, "The length of the reptiles is about 6 to 8 feet and they weigh about 15 kilograms. Their condition is stable. They were transported under constant supervision from the zoo veterinarians and animal keepers."

"Five green anacondas were last received from the same zoo in 2011 and after an interim of six years, for the second time, we will be receiving six anacondas from the Sri Lankan zoo after obtaining approval from the Zoo Authority of India. Under the exchange programme, the Mysuru Zoo will be sending four black bucks and four nilgais to the Sri Lankan zoo," said the director. 
                                                    
 Indian Black Buck                                       

Nilgais

The 20th amendment that will see the abolishment of the executive presidency will only gain the support of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) if a solution for the national problem can be provided, TNA parliamentarian M.A Sumanthiran said. 

The MP had noted that while the same promise was given at the 2015 election this was now followed through. 

According to him just as the executive Presidency introduced in 1978 the national problem which began in 1948 should also be addressed as its an issue that resulted in the deaths of many. Therefore a decision needs to be taken to end this he said.

Speaking at the High Level Meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace, held at the United Nations Headquarters from 24 - 26 April 2018, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Rohan Perera highlighted the initiatives undertaken by the Government of Sri Lanka on reconciliation and peacebuilding in the country.   

In his address, Ambassador Perera emphasized the importance of prevention of conflicts, as reflected in the Secretary General’s Report on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace, as a factor that would save countless lives and resources that could otherwise be utilized for a country’s development.

He also stressed the importance of ensuring predictable and sustained funding for peacebuilding initiatives through the Peacebuilding Fund, which were crucial for reconciliation and peacebuilding efforts of countries such as Sri Lanka. Dr. Perera highlighted the collaboration between Sri Lanka and the Peacebuilding Support Office, as an example of a fruitful partnership on peacebuilding between a Member State and the United Nations.
 
In his intervention at the Third Interactive Session of the High Level Meeting regarding Strategic Partnerships with the United Nations for Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace, Ambassador Perera focused on the importance Sri Lanka places upon inclusivity in the peacebuilding process, particularly by engaging all relevant stakeholders such as women, youth and civil society.  Sri Lanka’s efforts of engaging the Diaspora in peacebuilding initiatives was also highlighted.
 
Ambassador Perera also chaired a segment of the first Plenary Session of the High Level meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace on 24th April 2018, in the capacity of Vice President of the General Assembly.
 
On the fringes of the High Level Meeting, Sri Lanka co-sponsored a side event on the “Role of Education in Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace” on 26th April 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, together with the Permanent Missions of Costa Rica and Bangladesh and the University of Peace and the Nippon Foundation.  During the event, Ambassador Perera served as a panelist and drew attention to the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to include education within the peacebuilding and reconciliation architecture of Sri Lanka and highlighted the initiatives adopted by the civil society, most particularly youth, to complement the efforts of the Government on peacebuilding and reconciliation.  Several panelists at the event too made positive references to Sri Lanka’s peacebuilding initiatives.

A Sub-Inspector attached to the Eppawala Police has been interdicted, the Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said. 

Earlier today the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara had instructed the DIG of North Central province to take disciplinary action against the police personnel who assaulted females at a temple in Eppawala.

Recently, several female protesters at a temple in Nallamaduwa, Eppawala were assaulted by police personnel following tensions arising when the police tried to disperse the crowd. The protests were held against a priest who lives in the said temple.