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Rajapaksa addressing the media has asked how a person who could not even win the Tissamaharama electorate and Hambantota could win the entire country.

The Opposition Leader has made these comments in response to the questions asked by journalists at the Opposition Leader’s Office.

When asked about the UNP Working Committee nominating Premadasa's name as the presidential candidate, Rajapaksa said he was extremely happy.

Rajapaksa added that the UNP’s elephant symbol has not been given to Premadasa and that he has to contest under the swan symbol, which was given to Sarath Fonseka and President Maithripala Sirisena.

Defence Secretary (Rtd.) General Shantha Kottegoda has told The Sunday Morning, “We have to organise security for the premises and the building. We also have to finalise safety measures and guidelines for the public.”

He has further noted that some final touches to the interior too needed to be completed.

As a result, the Colombo Lotus Tower would be available for public use within a period of two weeks.

The Tower was initially scheduled to be open to the public a week after it was declared open by President Maithripala Sirisena on September 16th.

In addition, Kottegoda said that restaurants and other facilities would be operational only after several months.

“Tenders have to be called for vendors. These things could take several months,” the Defence Secretary has said. 

Accordingly, the committee is expected to study and identify the issue of salary anomalies of public servants in different sectors and recommend ways and means to resolve the issues.

The committee comprises of Ministers Mangala Samaraweera, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Vajira Abeywardene, Dr Rajitha Senaratne, Arujna Ranatunga and State Minister Eran Wickramaratne.

The UNP is currently in the process of formulating a grand political alliance targeting the upcoming presidential election.

UNP General Secretary Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam had sent a letter to the SLFP General Secretary MP Dayasiri Jayasekara on Saturday (28) requesting for an appointment to discuss the formation of a political alliance between the two parties.

Kariyawasam had said that the UNP will be represented at the meeting by Party Leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, UNP presidential candidate Minister Sajith Premadasa, and himself (Kariyawasam) as the Party Secretary.

Kariyawasam said the UNP plans to discuss the current political situation in the country and the way forward with the SLFP.

SLFP General Secretary Jayasekara confirming the receipt of the letter says the SLFP will discuss with the UNP.

The UNP Working Committee and its parliamentary group on Thursday (26) unanimously endorsed the presidential candidacy of UNP Deputy Leader Premadasa, who will also be the presidential candidate of the United National Front (UNF) and political parties represented in the UNF – the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA), Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), and All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) – have expressed their support to Premadasa’s candidature.

Premadasa’s candidacy is to be further endorsed at a UNP convention on October 3 at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium and the election campaign is to be laucnhed with a rally on October 10 at the Galle Face Green.

Premadasa is to also contest under the “swan” symbol of the New Democratic Front (NDF), which also fielded President Sirisena as the common candidate at the last presidential election in 2015.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa has also been trying to form an alliance with the SLFP.

“I will ensure the implementation of the 2015 mandate on the Executive Presidency,” he told the media.

Speaking at a press conference last night following the UNP Parliamentary Group Meeting at the party headquarters, Sirikotha, Premadasa said he did not accept any preconditions nor sign any deals with anybody for the presidential candidature.

Meanwhile, the UNP Working Committee passed a motion when endorsing Premadasa’s candidature that he would take forward the constitutional reform process that was initiated during the term of the present government.

The resolution also said it would proceed with the process of advancing power devolution, evolving electoral reforms and scrapping the executive presidency.

The resolution will be ratified at the party’s convention on October 3.

A new report issued by the International Crisis Group (ICG) says the situation in Sri Lanka has only become more dangerous following the April attacks.

 Although the small group of Islamic State-inspired militants was clearly at the far fringes of Muslim society, and although no evidence suggests that any remain at large, Sri Lanka’s peaceful Muslim population now confronts a significant backlash.

 The report says Sinhalese Buddhist nationalists have waged a campaign of violence and hate while a weak and divided political leadership has either stood idly by or, worse, egged on the abuse.

 “Meanwhile political divisions within government have obstructed efforts to reform dysfunctional Police and intelligence services that failed to head off the attacks, despite warnings from foreign partners. Rather than taking the country back toward the cliff of conflict, Sri Lanka’s leaders should focus their attention on repairing the state’s broken security apparatus, and stop alienating law-abiding Muslim citizens who represent 10 per cent of the population,” the report said.

The International Crisis Group said that while threats are always easier spotted in hindsight, the Easter attacks nevertheless represented a massive security failure by the Sri Lankan state.

 Foreign intelligence services had warned their Sri Lankan counterparts of a significant imminent attack on churches weeks before the bombing, even naming the radical Salafi preacher, M.C.M. Zaharan, who helped organise the attacks.

Not all of the small group of jihadis involved in the bombings was identified in advance, but Zaharan was known to Sri Lanka’s police.

The anti-terrorism division of the police had been tracking him since the faction he led brutally attacked followers of a moderate Sufi Muslim cleric in 2017, and had warrants out for his arrest.

“A less dysfunctional government might have still failed to connect incoming intelligence with the information on Zaharan in Sri Lankan police files, but it would have tried much harder,” the report said.

It also notes that what has happened since the attacks is as concerning as what happened before.

The report says given that members of the small group behind the Easter bombings all appear to be dead or arrested, public fears of further jihadi attacks in the short term have receded.

But with dysfunction in the security services left largely unaddressed, and the country’s political and Sinhalese Buddhist religious leadership either oblivious or indifferent to the ill will they may be sowing with the nation’s law-abiding Muslim citizens, the International Crisis Group says Sri Lanka is nonetheless taking steps down a dangerous path.

The report says it is past time to reverse course, lower communal tensions and focus on the critical and unfinished work of knitting together a fractured country.

The sudden emergence of a strong ruling party candidate caught many, including former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother, SLPP Presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa, by surprise.

It will not be a surprise for the people if Gotabaya Rajapaksa is disqualified for his foul start and his illicit passport and parents' monument saga.  

A number of key SLFP members are to join Sajith Premadasa with more defections to follow dealing a major blow to Gotabaya Rajapaksa who is becoming unpopular day by day.  

While Gotabaya is still the frontrunner, it can no longer be taken for granted that Sajith, with his political experience has started his sprint bubbling with confidence to win the presidential race.     

The pressure is now mounting on politically inexperienced Gotabaya Rajapaksa who started his run for presidency early and now loosing stamina and vigor.

For the first time in years, the ruling UNF, together with critical voices among Sri Lanka’s beleaguered civil society, are sensing that Sajith’s win is a real possibility after several weeks of internal bickering .

At the same time, the sudden emergence of Sajith Premadsa as the presidential candidate increases his winning chances after the wide spread publicity received by him for his struggle with the party leader to clinch the candidacy.    

The Rajapaksas are almost certain to deploy the full resources – money, vehicles, radio, TV and newspapers of his camp , civil servants and the police – in support of Gotabaya’s victory, and are widely expected to do whatever is needed to get back into power. The tighter the race, the more violent it will be.

The Chinese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan officially handed over the equipment to President Maithripala Sirisena at President’s Office on Friday (27), the President’s Media Division said.

These modern apparatus was donated to Sri Lanka upon a request made by President Sirisena and it is the first occasion where such high-tech machines have been used for public security and drug apprehension activities in Sri Lanka.

Three robotic machines which can detect explosives and drugs within the range of 3km are among these donations. The value of each machine is LKR 85.5 million.

The three explosive detectors worth LKR 90.5 million each have been designed to sense explosives and weapons hidden in the human body automatically.

This donation also included 50 X-ray Security Inspection systems to search parcels and luggage. The total value stands at LKR 210.5 million.

The Chinese government has also donated 25 Walk Through Safety Inspection Gates worth LKR 6.5 million to detect weapons.

The value of 25 Hand Held Vehicle Scanners is Rs. 3.2 million.

The donation also includes 500 Hand Held Metal Detectors worth Rs. 2.75 million will be utilized by the Security Forces to detect automatic weapons carried by individuals.

The US government is currently assisting to make Arugam Bay a sustainable, green tourist destination.

Through an initiative called “Waste Less Arugam Bay,” sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the project provides free drinking water at refill stations, recycles plastic bottles, and promotes the benefits of reducing plastic waste.

In Arugam Bay alone, since April 2018, more than 230,000 bottles have been mitigated from entering landfills or the ocean.

The website www.getwater.lk details the 35 locations of water refill stations across Sri Lanka.

“Reducing plastic waste not only preserves the beauty of Sri Lanka’s oceans and waterways for future generations but protects the livelihoods of people and promotes tourism during a downturn,” U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B. Teplitz said.  “It means fishermen can count on a decent catch, communities can access locally-made recycled goods and most importantly tourists can visit pristine beaches.”

Under the programme, local businesses in Arugam Bay have received bins to separate plastic bottles from other waste, and each day, a vehicle collects and transports plastic bottles to a facility where they are turned into 100 percent recycled plastic polyester yarn, reducing the need for new plastic in polyester production.

Community outreach and education is key. Visitors and locals learn about the potential harm of plastics to the environment and human health and ways they can help reduce waste.

The USAID Municipal Waste Recycling Program works with partners throughout Sri Lanka to reduce marine environment degradation caused by plastic and polythene waste.