News

Two newly appointed Ambassadors to Sri Lanka presented their credentials to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat today (07).

The two new envoys, His Excellency Adel Ibrahim, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and His Excellency Mr. ISOMATA Akio, Ambassador of Japan, also paid courtesy calls on the President following the presentation of credentials.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to recall Ambassadors and High Commissioners from 15 countries.

As detailed in a letter in this regard has been issued by the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This decision affects officials in positions that are not part of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service.

Notable individuals among those recalled include:

Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York and former Chief Justice Mohan Peiris.

British High Commissioner and former Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.

Indian High Commissioner, Former Ambassador Kshenuka Senewiratne.

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia and former Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chitranganee Wagiswara.

Ambassador to Japan Rodney Perera.

Former Air Force Chief, Sumangala Dias as Malaysian High Commissioner.

Ambassador of Nepal, Former Air Force Commander, Sudarshana Pathirana.

Former Navy Commander, Nishantha Ulugethenna Cuban Ambassador.

Former Navy Commander Ravindra Wijegunaratne, as High Commissioner of Pakistan.

Uday Indraratne as Ambassador of The United Arab Emirates.

High Commissioner of Kenya V. Kananathan.

Brother of the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's wife, High Commissioner of Seychelles Srimal Wickramasinghe.

Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Shahid.

The Ministry has said that based on the advice of the subject minister Vijitha Herath, suitable candidates from the Foreign Service will be appointed to these positions in the future.

(newsfirst.lk)

Former State Minister Lohan Ratwatte and his wife, Shashi Prabha Ratwatte, were remanded today until November 18 under charges related to the illegal use of a vehicle that was reportedly assembled without proper authorization.

They was produced before Nugegoda Magistrate Ruwani Jayawardena after investigations by the Mirihana Police revealed the luxury vehicle, found at the couple's residence on Shalawa Road, Embuldeniya, Mirihana, had been illegally assembled

The vehicle was also discovered without a valid number plate.

The investigation has uncovered that the vehicle's chassis number was fraudulent, and the couple had been using it since 2020.

Attorney DIG Ruwan Gunasekara said they swapped license plates with fraudulent ones and used them on another vehicle, a Toyota Lexus. Video evidence of the vehicle’s use has been submitted to the Government Analyst for further examination.

In addition to charges under the Motor Traffic Act and the Penal Code, the case also involves violations of the Customs Ordinance and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The Director of Customs testified in court today as part of the ongoing investigation.

Lohan Ratwatte was arrested by the Mirihana Police on October 30, while his wife appeared before the court on November 4 and was remanded until today.

The fundamental rights petition challenging the date of the 2024 general election has been dismissed.

The fundamental rights petition was taken up today before a 3 member Judge bench of the Supreme Court. 

The petition has been filed by Secretary to the Api Sri Lanka National Organization and civil activist, H.M. Priyantha Herath. 

The fundamental rights petition challenging the decision to hold the 2024 general election on the 14th of November was filed in the Supreme Court on the 21st of October, requesting a ruling that this decision is unconstitutional.

The petition argues that the calling of nominations and the announcement of the date for the 2024 general election, violates the provisions of the Elections Act of Sri Lanka.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya recently met with key figures from the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), including Mr. Sumathi Dharmawardena, President’s Counsel, the newly appointed Independent Chair of the ICC ACU, and Mr. Alex Marshall, (CBE, QPM) General Manager of Integrity and Human Resources, ICC.

During the discussion, Mr. Alex Marshall noted Sri Lanka’s progress in combating corruption in cricket over the past seven years, emphasizing the importance of player education and strengthening the Ministry of Sports’ Special Investigations.

The meeting was also attended by Mr. Andrew Ephgrave, Senior Manager, of ICC ACU Operations; Mr. Vije Bandara, Senior Attorney and Director General of Legal at the President’s Office; Mrs. Illeperuma, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Sports; and Prof. Shemal Fernando, Director General of Sports.

The Ministry of Defence states that the reports claiming the removal of security provided by the Tri-Forces and the Civil Defence Force at religious places in the country are untrue.

This was communicated by the media spokesman of the Ministry of Defence during a special press conference held this afternoon (03).

Speaking during the press conference, the media spokesman of Sri Lanka Army Major General Rasika Kumara stated that the government has not reached any decision to reduce the number of security personnel deployed at the religious places as of yet.

Furthermore, he assured that removing of tri-forces personnel from religious places is carried out only if it is confirmed that the number of security personnel required for a concerned location is less than the deployed amount, during security analysis conducted on a regular basis by the Army Headquarters.

ada.derana.lk

Specialist Dr. Shafi Sihabdeen has been acquitted from all charges by the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court, Ada Derana reporter said.

The case against Dr. Shafi, who had been accused of allegedly amassing assets through suspicious means, performing illegal sterilization surgeries and having links to terrorist activities, was taken up for hearing today (06).

The Kurunegala Magistrate ordered the case to be dismissed, after the Attorney General’s Department informed court today that there was not enough evidence to proceed with the case, and ordered the acquittal of defendant Dr. Shafi from all related charges.

Furthermore, the court also lifted the overseas travel ban which was imposed on Dr. Shafi Sihabdeen, according to Ada Derana reporter.

In the year 2019, Dr. Shafi was arrested for allegedly amassing assets via suspicious means.

Accusations were also made against him by various parties claiming he had performed illegal sterilization surgeries on women who were treated by him during their caesarean deliveries.

He was later detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

In this backdrop, a large number of complaints were lodged at Kurunegala Teaching Hospital and Dambulla General Hospital by mothers who claimed to have been treated by Dr. Shafi and experienced complications in conceiving.

(adaderana.lk)

Former state Minister Lohan Ratwatte who was admitted to the Prison Hospital for treatment has been transferred to the Colombo General Hospital, the spokesman of the Department of Prisons said.

The prisons spokesman said that he was transferred to Colombo General Hospital due to a sudden illness last night (02).

Ratwatte, who was arrested and remanded on charges of using a luxury car illegally imported from abroad and assembled in Sri Lanka, was transferred to the prison hospital on Saturday under the permission granted by the Nugegoda Acting Magistrate.

Ratwatte was arrested by Mirihana Police on October 31 in Katugastota, Kandy over an incident of discovering an unregistered car at his wife’s house in the Mirihana area of Nugegoda.

The car without registered number plates was found on October 26, 2024, according to police.

Police had found the luxury car in question during an inspection carried out based on information received by the police headquarters that there is a luxury car without number plates in a three-storied house in the Embuldeniya area in Mirihana, belonging to Shashi Prabha Ratwatte, the wife of former State Minister Lohan Ratwatte.

During the investigation, both Ratwatte and his wife had explained to the police that his mother-in-law resides in the said house. They had claimed that the car had been brought there three weeks ago by Ratwatte’s private secretary, who was recently found dead with gunshot injuries in the Katugastota area of Kandy.

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has questioned the recent decision of the Public Security Ministry to decrease the number of personnel provided for her personal security as a former Head of State.

In a letter addressed to the Secretary to the Ministry, former President Kumaratunga said it has come to her attention that her security detail of 50 has been reduced to 30 as per the new decision.

She further said that a letter by the Police Officer in charge of her area of residence has cited the highest level of threat to her among the former heads of state and that her security detail requires a minimum of 50 personnel.

Among the former Presidents, Mahinda Rajapaksa has been provided with a security detail of 243 consisting of Police and Army personnel, Maithripala Sirisena has been granted 109 Police officers, and Gotabaya Rajapaksa a security detail of 200 consisting of Police and Army personnel, she pointed out.

Against such arrangements, she questioned why a decision had been taken to only reduce her security detail, despite severe threats to her, further raising doubts about whether there exists a plan to assassinate her, similar to her husband in 1988.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning during thundershowers as the atmospheric conditions are favorable further for afternoon thundershowers in most parts of the island.

Showers or thundershowers will occur in the most parts of the island during the evening or night. Showers or thundershowers may occur over the coastal areas of Western, Southern North-western and Northern provinces during the morning too.

Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva and North-central provinces.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva has strongly criticised former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, accusing him of deceiving the public and undermining democratic principles.

Silva’s remarks came as tensions rise ahead of the upcoming General Election.

“Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was defeated, is once again trying to mislead the people by lying. He has asked us to learn about the constitution from him, but he has no right to talk about the constitution and democracy,” Silva charged. He pointed to Wickremesinghe’s history, claiming, “Ranil Wickremesinghe, who sabotaged constitutional elections, destroyed democracy, and even ignored court orders, one can learn about dictatorship from him, not about democracy and the constitution.”

Silva criticised Wickremesinghe for allegedly exploiting public resources, adding, “Since 1977, Ranil Wickremesinghe has lived on public money. Even after being defeated in politics, he is still asking to live on public money. The people have made a decision regarding Ranil Wickremesinghe; now we remind him to accept defeat and live with the loss.”

Amidst these pointed critiques, Silva highlighted the importance of resisting the resurgence of what he described as misleading propaganda from political opponents.

“It is difficult for those who were in old politics, who were defeated by the people in the Presidential election, to bear that defeat. Therefore, they have started repeatedly slandering and spreading false propaganda against the compass,” Silva said.

Silva asserted that the JVP aims to bring genuine change and urged the public to support their bid for a stronger Parliamentary presence.

“A strong Parliamentary power is needed to implement the series of policies that we presented to the country. We request the people to give that strong and stable power from the Parliament,” he said.

Accusations of falsehoods and divisive tactics were also levelled at other political entities.

“They still did not apologise for lying to society before the Presidential election. Those defeated groups ran ugly propaganda inciting racism and bigotry. Political criticism is not a problem, but such false propaganda that confused religions and races continued on the platforms of both the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and Ranil Wickremesinghe,” Silva emphasised.

Silva underscored the peaceful nature of the recent Presidential election, highlighting, “Although six weeks have passed since the end of the Presidential election, we have set a record as an election in the history of our country where no post-election violence occurred. Our policy is not to hurt others, but to win the hearts of others,” he said. “Misleading the public is a social crime,” Silva added.

The JVP General Secretary also expressed concern over misinformation being spread among northern communities, stating,

“These campaigns are also carried among the people of the north. Many facts have been revealed regarding the false propaganda carried using distorted videos. It is requested to defeat such groups that lie to the people and to win the victory of the National People’s Power, which can build national unity and the country.”

Silva called on Sri Lankans to reject what he termed as baseless accusations and divisive rhetoric. “Some of our comrades’ comments are being cut and edited, and distorted ideas are repeatedly being shared. All they know is lying. All the people are requested not to believe the false slanders that the Opposition imposes on people on the basis of racism and religious beliefs. The National People’s Power works for the purpose of creating a Sri Lankan nation without racial or religious differences,” he declared.

Silva expressed optimism about the public’s response to the JVP’s platform and noted their progress. “A background has been prepared for the general election where the people can vote without fear or doubt, without using state power or public resources. A cabinet consisting of three people, including the President, is now ruling the country. Meanwhile, we have confirmed the realistic feeling that the country is moving on a new path by providing the reliefs that can be given to the people. That is why many people who did not vote for us in the last Presidential election are lining up to vote for us this time,” Silva stated.

In closing, Silva appealed for national unity against misinformation campaigns. “Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians are all requested to unite and defeat those who spread such false propaganda. More lies will be told in the next few days. Rejecting those false slanders, the NPP is requesting to be given a strong Parliamentary majority,” he said.

(ft.lk)

Former State Minister Lohan Ratwatte, who was arrested and remanded for using a illegally imported luxury has been transferred to the prison hospital.

Ratwatte was arrested by the Mirihana Police on the 31st in Katugastota, Kandy.

He was then brought before the Acting Magistrate of Nugegoda from the Mirihana Police Station that night, where he was ordered to be remanded until November 7.

However, the Acting Magistrate of Nugegoda granted permission for Ratwatte to be transferred to the prison hospital for medical treatment.