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Two new State Ministers and five Deputy Ministers were sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat today (12). 

State Ministers: 

Ranjith Aluwihare – State Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs

Lucky Jayawardena – State Minister of Hill Country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development
 
Deputy Ministers:

Ajith Mannapperuma – Deputy Minister of Environment

Angajan Ramanathan – Deputy Minister of Agriculture 

Kader Masthan – Deputy Minister Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Northern Development & Hindu Religious Affairs

Edward Gunasekara – Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Wayamba Development

Nalin Bandara Jayamaha – Deputy Minister of Public Administration, Management and Law & Order

It is reported that a special meeting between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s dissident Group of 16 and former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa will be held at the latter’s residence in Mirihana on Tuesday (12).

Speaking to media, Parliamentarian Chandima Weerakkody said that the meeting will focus on the future political plans of the group as well as on ways and means of building public opinion against the government.

Weerakkody further said that the group also plans to hold discussions with the leader of the Joint Opposition Dinesh Gunewardena, the National Freedom Front, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, the Democratic Left Front and the JVP.

The G-16 earlier held discussions with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Opposotion Leader R. Sampanthan.

According to the Colombo Telegraph website Austin Fernando who is currently serving as the President’s Secretary has tendered his resignation from the post yesterday. 

However, the report says the President had refused to accept the resignation letter after which Fernando had left it on the table before leaving. 

Colombo Telegraph says the reason for his decision is due to his disillusionment with the current political situation prevailing in the country.

Despite claims by Northern Politicians such as Chief Minister C.V Wigneswaran that the population in the North wants the Sri Lanka Army to leave the province, scenes today at Kilinochchi told a different story when rehabilitated former militants and villagers were seen bidding an emotional farewell to Commander of the Civil Security Department in Mullaitivu, Colonel Rathnapriya Bandu. 

Colonel Rathnapriya was recently transferred from the Vishwamadu Command Headquarters where he had been heading the rehabilitation program for former militants and working towards integrating them into society by recruiting them to the Civil Security Department. 

People bidding farewell to the Army officer were seen shedding tears while others seem to be overcome with grief at having to part with the much loved commanding officer. 

A function had been organized at the Co-operative building in Kilinochchi to honour him.

In a bid to absolve his son, State Minister Palitha Range Bandara now claims the sword and club found in his son, Yashodha Range Bandara’s vehicle following the recent accident caused by him while driving drunk was left by a group that had attacked two others travelling with his son at the time. 

“No investigation in this regard is being conducted,” he says adding that they had complained of this attack to the hospital Police. 

However, the owner of the house damaged in the accident, Chanaka Lahiru speaking to Hiru News has refuted the allegations by the Minister claiming that no such incident took place. According to the homeowner, people had gathered to take the wounded to the hospital. “Police arrived in less than 30 minutes so if there was such an attack they would have witnessed it,” he says. 

The Minister now also claims that cab involved in the accident was not public property as being claimed by the Police.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have arrived in Singapore for their historic summit.

Trump flew in aboard Air Force One, a few hours after Kim touched down with his entourage.

Their meeting - the first between a leader from the North and a sitting US president - will take place on Tuesday on the resort island of Sentosa.

Trump described it as a "one-time shot" at peace and said the two were in "unknown territory". The US hopes the summit will kick-start a process that eventually sees Kim give up nuclear weapons.

The two leaders have had an extraordinary up-and-down relationship over the past 18 months, trading insults and threatening war before abruptly changing tack and moving towards a face-to-face meeting.

Kim met Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong after he arrived. Trump is also due to meet Prime Minister Lee before the summit begins.

Source : BBC

Investigations into several serious cases of crime committed during the Rajapaksa era including that of the killing of Senior Journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, abduction of The Nation editor Keith Noyahr and the killing of Rugby player Wasim Thajudeen are set to be completed by end of the year.

The decision was made following a meeting between the President and Prime Minister recently. 

The duo is said to have met to resolve the various issues that have cropped up within the consensus government when this decision was made.

The President is said to have called the IGP at the time to convey the decision and give further instructions sources said.

Price of kerosene is set to be reduced from tomorrow. According to State Minister of Fisheries and Rural Economy Dilip Wedaarachchi, the prices will be lowered from between Rs.25 and Rs. 30. 

He says the decision was taken after considering the inconvenience faced by the fishing community and families of low-income earners due to the recent price increase.

Following the reduction, a litre of kerosene will be available for the price between Rs.70 and Rs. Rs. 80 from Monday.

JVP MP Dr Nalinda Jayatissa has threatened to take legal action against Maithri Gunaratne, who had stated that Jayatissa had obtained money from Perpetual Treasuries Ltd and Arjun Aloysius through Mahesh Senanayaka.

According to him in the past few days, though those who had taken money from Aloysius and have been exposed, certain individuals are attempting to mislead the public by pointing their fingers at others.

Issuing a condolence message on the death of veteran writer, journalist, scriptwriter Somaweera Senanayake, Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe said Somaweera Senanayake was a senior literati who had left permanent memories in the field of literary arts.
 
“While writing cartoon stories for Sathuta, he gave a facelift to the traditional art. His first teledrama script which was based on his own novel, Yashorawaya, can be considered the first instance where the tele adaptation of a novel was successful,” he said.
 
Senior Journalist, author and teledrama and film scriptwriter Somaweera Senanayake passed away at a private hospital in Colombo, yesterday. He was 74.
Senanayake was the scriptwriter of over 30 teledramas, including popular teledramas Doo Daruwo, Asalvesiyo, Palingu Menike, Sitha Niwana Katha, Yashorawaya and Charitha Thunak. He was also the scriptwriter of the movies Ammawarune and Mihidum Sihina.
 
Yashorawaya was one of the many books authored by Senanayake. Other notable works of fiction by him include Mawakage Geethaya, Baladevage Lokaya, Irahanda Payana Loke and Ambu Samiyo. Senanayake was the first ever Sri Lankan to be awarded a Master of Arts for a novel.
 
Born in Udugama, Gampaha in 1944, Senanayake obtained an Arts degree from Vidyodaya University. Senanayake then began his career as a journalist at Lake House and contributed to its many publications, including Silumina and Sarasaviya.
 
He had also written cartoon stories to Sathuta, the first cartoon paper in the country. He succeeded Edwin Ariyadasa as the editor of the periodical, Navayugaya and held the position until his retirement.
 
The remains of Somaweera Senanayake lie at No. 43, Ambillawatta Road, Boralesgamuwa. The funeral will be held at 6.00 p.m. on June 11, at the Godigamuwa Cemetery, Maharagama.
Source : Sunday Observer

Sri Lanka last week made two significant decisions impacting on its emerging tourism market, appointing a new head to its state tourism promotion agency and removing the CEO of its loss-making national carrier.

Both institutions are key to the country’s tourism promotion with 2.5 million arrivals targeted this year.

Dehan Seneviratne, a veteran marketing and management consultant, has been appointed as chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) on June 4. He replaces Udaya Nanayakkara, who was forced to quit in January 2018 after just six months in the job, due to disagreements over the long-delayed destination marketing campaign with tourism minister John Amaratunga.


Dehan Seneviratne with the Minister of Tourism and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga and the Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism Esala Weerakoon.

Seneviratne’s appointment comes at a critical time as Sri Lanka’s tourism promotion campaigns finally got underway earlier this month starting with a promotion blitz through CNN.

SriLankan Airlines chairman Ranjit Fernando confirmed to TTG Asia that CEO Suren Ratwatte, who has been criticised in the past for extravagant spending, is stepping down in August. “We are interviewing a couple of local and foreign candidates for the post,” Fernando said.
Fernando stated that the 2017/2018 financial year ending March saw a loss of US$105 million but that a restructuring plan submitted by Nyras, an aviation consultancy, is underway. There are plans to turn around the loss-making airline in two to three years with “some hard decisions”.

In a circular to staff last week, Fernando said the board of directors has decided to make changes to the structure of the top management team.

“There will be a new chief for the commercial division. Our fully owned subsidiary, the catering company, is led by a part-time CEO. We have already engaged a new CFO, who will assume office shortly. There will also be some minor reallocation of responsibilities in the organisational structure,” he said.

Feizal Samath/TTG Asia

Daughter of Shan Wickramasinghe and Director of the TNL broadcasting corporation, Ishini Wickramasinghe is to be appointed as a private secretary to Minister of Finance and Media, Mangala Samaraweera from July 1.

The Minister made this announcement in parliament while presenting facts on the closure of the TNL Polgahawela transmission centre.

Expressing his concerns on the closure, the Minister also affirmed that the government is dedicated to ensuring free and responsible media in the country.           

He also noted that majority of the media are giving more airtime to the opposition but however the government continues to be cooperative with all media institutions.  

Ishini Wickramasinghe has also served as Media advisor to the Minister during his tenure as Minister of Posts and Media.