News

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed Senior DIG Priyantha Weerasooriya as the Acting Inspector General of Police.

This decision was made under the constitutional powers vested in the President.

The official appointment letter was handed to him by Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake at the President's Office today .

At the time of his appointment as Acting IGP, he was serving as the SDIG in charge of the North Central Province.

The Governor of the Western Province, Marshal of the Air Force Roshan Gunathilake, has resigned from his position.

In a letter addressed to newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, he has officially informed of his decision to step down from the position.

In the letter, he further stated that he had worked with utmost dedication for the development of the Western Province, public service in the province, and for the benefit of its people, in accordance with the powers vested in him as Governor, since his appointment to the position on March 25, 2020.

He also mentioned that he was fortunate to have led the public service of the Western Province in efforts to enhance the safety and health of the people during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, as well as during other crises in recent years.

Muditha Peiris has stepped down from his position as the Chairman of the Litro Gas Company.

He has tendered his resignation effective from tomorrow (27).

Peiris was appointed as the Chairman of Litro Gas on June 13, 2022.

Prior to that, he had served as the Managing Director of the state-owned LP gas supplier.

Peiris had held the position of Managing Director at both Litro Gas Lanka Ltd and Litro Gas Terminal Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.

NPP MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, a distinguished academic, rights activist, and university lecturer, has been appointed as the 16th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Known for her work in education and social justice, Amarasuriya’s appointment marks a significant milestone in Sri Lankan politics.

Amarasuirya becomes Sri Lanka’s third woman prime minister, with the title held previously by Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

The new prime minister stands out as the first academic-turned-politician to take office.

Amarasuriya entered Parliament through the NPP national list in 2020.

Minister of Public Security Vijitha Herath said that the government has taken steps in the past 24 hours to address the visa issuance issues that have arisen.

Accordingly, effective midnight today (26), people will once again be able to obtain visas using the previous system.

The government has also initiated an immediate audit to examine the irregularities related to the services provided to VFS. This audit will thoroughly investigate the discrepancies, and appropriate legal action will be taken as required.

Veteran Sri Lankan traditional dancer, choreographer and teacher, Deshamanya Dr. Vajira Chitrasena has passed away at the age of 92.

Vajira and her husband Chitrasena are known for their close bond with India and for their contributions in strengthening the ties between the two countries in the field of arts.

She made her debut as soloist in the role of Prakriti in the ballet ‘Chandali’ in 1952.

Her rise to stardom was coupled with unswerving discipline and dedication both as teacher, performer and choreographer, even as she illumined her husband’s career.

She was announced as an honorable recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri award for her achievement in arts in January 2020 and the award was given by Indian President Ram Nath Govind during the Padma Awards Investiture Ceremony which was held on 8 November 2021.

(adaderana.lk)

Officials from the Ministry of Power and Energy have informed President Anura Kumara Dissanayake that the country currently has sufficient fuel reserves to meet consumption needs, the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported.

The President stressed the importance of maintaining these reserves to ensure uninterrupted fuel availability for the public and urged officials to efficiently plan for fuel procurement for the upcoming year. The President further assured his full support in facilitating these efforts, the statement said.

During the meeting held today (26) with Ministry officials, President Dissanayake directed them to devise a plan for distributing solar panels, received through Indian aid, to 800 Piriven. He emphasized the need for a clear roadmap from the Ministry to ensure smooth implementation of this initiative.

The President also highlighted the importance of expediting projects financed by the Asian Development Bank and other foreign loans. He announced plans to establish a committee tasked with approving foreign-aid projects within three months, with the aim of accelerating their execution. Through this process, he noted, projects supported by foreign aid can be implemented more efficiently.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake underscored the urgency of accelerating rural development projects and swiftly implementing a system to ensure funds are directed to villages, noting that this approach would rapidly strengthen the rural economy.

He expressed confidence in the vital role that government officials play in these efforts and emphasized his expectation that all will work with dedication to achieve these goals.

The discussion was attended by Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President; Prof. Udayanga Hemapala, Secretary to the Ministry of Energy; and a group of other officials.

--PMD--

President Anura Dissanayake has appointed new secretaries for two key ministries.

Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Sampath Thuyacontha has been appointed as the Secretary of the Ministry of Defence.

Meanwhile, former Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Ravi Senaviratne has been appointed as the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security.

Controller General of Immigration and Emigration Harsha Illukpitiya has been ordered to be remanded in custody by the Supreme Court today.

This order comes as a result of his failure to comply with the interim order issued by the Supreme Court on August 2, which voided the government's decision to issue visas under the electronic visa system.

The ruling was made by a bench comprising Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, Kumuduni Wickramasinghe, and Achala Wengappuli.

The court had previously issued an interim order suspending the issuance of online visas and directing the controller general to issue visas under the old visa issuance system, thus voiding the electronic visa system.

Although more than a month has passed, the Controller General has willfully disregarded the court's order, leading petitioners, including Patali Champika Ranawaka, Rauff Hakeem, and M. A. Sumanthiran, to inform the court on September 13 to take appropriate legal action against him.

Considering the submisions made in court the supreme court justices noted that the Controller General had willfully ignored the court's order and therefore was in contempt of court.

As a result, during today's hearing, the petitioners filed contempt of charges against the Controller General.

The Supreme Court Justices emphasized that ignoring the Supreme Court's orders is a serious matter and that it is the responsibility of Supreme Court Justices to uphold the rule of law, instructing prison officials to take him into custody.

The Supreme Court Justices ordered that he be remanded in custody until the conclusion of the petition examination.

Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumara has been appointed as the new Presidential Secretary by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

This announcement was made by the Department of Government Information following President Dissanayake's swearing-in as the 9th Executive President of Sri Lanka.

In related news, the Parliament has notified the Election Commission of a vacancy in the 9th Parliament.

This vacancy arises from President Dissanayake's resignation from his position as a Member of Parliament for the Colombo Electoral District, following his assumption of the presidential office.

The notification to the Election Commission was issued by the Secretary-General of Parliament, Kushani Rohanadeera.

Parliamentarian Dr. Harini Amarasuriya was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, today (24) at the Presidential Secretariat. She took the oath in the presence of Honourable President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Additionally, the Cabinet of Ministers was appointed, and they are as follows:

Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn-in as ninth executive president of Sri Lanka at a ceremony at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo this morning (23).

He took his oaths before chief justice Jayantha Jayasuriya.

The new president, in his inauguration speech, said he would be committed to the maximum to safeguarding democracy.

Dissanayake also said that he was not a magician, but an average citizen, who knows things and also there are things unknown to him.

My objective is to take better decisions by using what I know and gathering what I don’t know, he said.