Sri Lanka News : InfoLanka News Room (2024)

May 22 (DM) A total of 67,865 people from 17,325 families across thirteen districts have been affected by adverse weather conditions, with two deaths reported, according to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC). Accordingly, those in Ratnapura, Colombo, Kegalle, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Galle, Jaffna, Kalutara, Matara, Puttalam, Kurunegala, Hambantota and Gampaha have been affected. A total of 410 houses have been partially damaged due to the adverse weather conditions. more..

May 22 (DM) Despite speculations that a General Election will precede a Presidential election, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed the Cabinet today that the Prez election will be held first this year. During the Cabinet meeting held this morning, Prez Wickremesinghe emphasized that the Presidential election should be held within the specified period this year in accordance with the Constitution. Election Commission officially announced on May 09th that Prez electionmore..

May 22 (Island) Prof. G.L. Peiris, MP, recently questioned Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s move to introduce the Economic Transformation Bill and Public Financial Management Bill in the run-up to the presidential election later this year. The dissident SLPP MP alleged that such laws weren’t introduced for the benefit of the country. Prof. Peiris declared that the genuine Opposition would oppose both Bills.more..

May 22 (DM) The Lanka Premier League (LPL) today announced the termination/retraction of rights of the Dambulla Thunders franchise, effective immediately following the arrest of Bangladeshi national Tamim Rahman, CEO of the Imperial Sports Group over alleged match-fixing. LPL rights holder IPG Group chairman Anil Mohan said while the specifics of the charges against Rahman remain unclear, the integrity and smooth running of the LPL are of utmost importance.more..

May 22 (AD) Dept of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR) has advised all those engaged in naval and fishing activities not to venture out to sea until further notice. Meanwhile, Meteorology Dept warns that the sea areas extending from Colombo to Pottuvil via Galle and Hambantota will be very rough at times while the sea areas extending from Mannar to Colombo will be rough at times. Therefore, naval and fishing communities are advised not to venture into these sea areas, until further notice.more..

May 22 (TM) SL, who are in the US for the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will fine tune their preparations for the mega event, with two warm-up games against Netherlands and Ireland respectively, at Broward County Stadium, Broward County in Florida next week. Their first warm-up fixture will be against the Dutch on 28 May, while they will then confront the Irish, in their last preparatory game 72-hours later.more..

May 22 (EN) The outstanding achievement of inflationist macro-economists in SL and elsewehere is their ability to elect a new govt, usually socialists or nationalists if liberals were in power, after driving countries into currency crises or asset bubbles after cutting rates for ‘growth’. Stabilization programs, despite greater inflation and more hardships being stopped, provide fertile ground for fringe elements to come to power even as economies start to recover. No liberal govt, with free tradingmore..

May 22 (DM) Court of Appeal yesterday issued interim orders suspending the operation of the Extraordinary Gazette Notification published on 11th Sept 2023 which imposed a Minimum Room Rate (MRR) for corporate and free independent tourist hotel rooms located within the limits of the Colombo Municipal Council area. The Petitioners argued that the MRR was implemented without adequate consultation with key stakeholders in the tourism industry. They claimed that the rate lackedmore..

May 22 (DM) The Lotus Tower will be illuminated in the colors of the Buddhist flag to honour Vesak Poya, Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company (Private) Limited said. Accordingly, the tower will be illuminated tomorrow (23) and the day after (24). The management requests the people make their Vesak unforgettable at the Colombo Lotus Tower with its breathtaking views. Meanwhile, the Tower Management announced their latest Pixel Bloom operating hours during the Vesak season.more..

May 22 (DM) The Hindu Federation of SL requested President to grant a Presidential Pardon for Ven. Galagodatte Gnanasara Thera. In a lettet to the President, they said that some statements and behaviours of Ven. Gnanasara Thera have been misinterpreted or misinformed by certain democratic bodies of the govt by known and unknown elements and also mislabeled with the aim of shutting down the democratic voice of the Thera. They also listed out the services and rendered bymore..

May 22 (EN) Three out of four Sri Lankan adults out of 436 surveyed by an independent policy and research institute have said that the country is heading in the wrong in April 2024 while 3% said it was on the right track. IHP in their SL Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) carried out since early 2022 has found that the number of people who say the country is heading in the right direction has remained very low, at less than 10%.more..

May 22 (DM) The Committee on Public Finance (COPF) requested Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to take action against officials of the Immigration and Emigration and those in the Ministry of Public Security who failed to attend the committee meeting on May 14. COPF Chairman Harsha de Silva who requested action said all officials failed to turn up on May 14 despite agreeing to attend on that day. "These officials have violated the privilege of Parliament," Dr. De Silva said. more..

May 22 (Island) Amidst continuing accusations that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa govt indefinitely put off Local Govt polls as it feared to face the electorate, Public Administration, Home Affairs, PC and LG Ministry has announced plans to set up a bipartisan association of former LG members on 27 May. The event at the Maharagama Youth Centre auditorium is scheduled to begin at 9 am next Monday with the participation of PM Dinesh Gunawardena, State Minister Janakamore..

May 22 (FT) State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya yesterday said that new liquor licences will be issued considering factors such as the population density and the influx of tourists. He made these remarks in response to journalists’ inquiries during a program held in Karawanella about allegations that the Govt is planning to transfer 55 out of 100 Sathosa liquor licences to companies owned by Arjunmore..

May 22 (NW) Chairman of Aura Lanka Group of Companies Viranjith Thambugala has been arrested by Police over allegations of financial fraud. Thambugala was remanded until May 27 when he was produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court today. Thambugala’s business ventures have been under the scrutiny of authorities, while he was also cleared of charges related to an unauthorised entry into the Anuradhapura Prison. Thanbugala is the former owner of the Dambulla Aura team more..

May 22 (DM) Sri Pada pilgrim season 2023/2024 ends with the dawn of Vesak full moon Poya tomorrow. Chief Incumbent of Sri Padasthana and Sanghanayaka of Sabaragamuwa Province Ven. Bengamuwe Dhammadinna Thera told the media today that the caskets of sacred relics, the statues of the God, and the regalia will be taken in four processions, on Friday (24) through Nallthanniya- Bagawanthalawa- Balangoda, Nallathaniya –Awissawella-Ratnapura, Sri Padasthana-more..

May 22 (Island) Human Rights Commission of SL has sought an explanation from IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon regarding the recent arrest of four persons over them commemorating the death of people and the LTTE’s defeat 15 years ago. The HRC said that it had launched a suo motu investigation into the alleged arbitrary arrest and detention of four persons on 12 May 2024 in Trincomalee. Those persons were arrested for allegedly violating a temporary order ofmore..

May 22 (DM) Cricket Australia on Wednesday named International Cricket Commentator Russel Arnold among the 54 representatives of its Multicultural Ambassadors Program. A key action in Australian Cricket’s Multicultural Action Plan, the Ambassador Program brings together esteemed leaders from various sectors to advocate for inclusivity and drive positive change within the sport and wider community. The list of ambassadors includes many past and current players,more..

May 22 (TM) Despite the Bar Association of SL (BASL) raising concerns regarding the prolonged delay in appointing Judges to fill the vacancies in the Court of Appeal (CA), no related nomination is yet to be referred to the Constitutional Council (CC). In a recent letter addressed to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, BASL emphasised on the issue, stating that there were as many as five CA vacancies at present. Nominations formore..

May 22 (AD) A Bangladeshi national connected to a Lanka Premier League (LPL) franchise, who is under investigation in relation to allegations of match-fixing, has been detained at the BIA. Suspect, who holds a British passport, has been arrested by the Sports Ministry’s Special Investigations Unit for the prevention of offences related to sports. The arrested suspect has been identified as Bangladeshi entrepreneur Tamim Rahman, who is one of the owners of LPL franchise Dambulla Thunders.more..

May 22 (EN) Sri Lanka’s parliament observed one minute of silence as a mark of respect for the late President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi on May 22 with members in the presence of Speaker Mahinda Abeywardene. The Government Chief Whip, Prasanna Ranatunga said President Raisi recently came to Sri Lanka to open a multi-purpose dam project. A helicopter carrying President Raisi crashed into a hillside as he was returning from opening a dam at the border with Azerbaijan.more..

May 22 (DM) In response to a recent social media clip depicting a driver being fined for not transferring vehicle ownership and for not carrying a vehicle registration certificate, which has sparked confusion among the public, the police have issued a clarification on the incident. In a widely circulated video, a female police officer on traffic duty was seen requesting a driver to provide documents proving ownership of the vehicle, more..

May 22 (DM) Ven. Gnanasara Thera is not among the 278 prison inmates to be released under the Presidential pardons in view of Vesak Poya which falls tomorrow. The Chief Prelates of the Malwathu, Asgiri, Ramanna Nikaya and the Amarapura Maha Sangha Sabha had appealed to the Prez to grant Ven. Gnanasara Thera a pardon on Vesak Poya day. BBS General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero was sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment for the defamatorymore..

May 22 (AD) SL Customs officer have arrested a Filipino woman at the BIA along with 02 kilograms and 851 grams of cocaine estimated to be worth over Rs 200 million. The officers of the Narcotics Control Unit of Sri Lanka Customs have arrested the Philippine national upon arrival in the country from Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa via Doha, Qatar. The three parcels containing cocaine were found concealed in her luggage along with three other parcels of chili powder, turmeric powder and wheat flour,more..

May 22 (FT) I concluded a recent article on renewable energy saying, the conversation should continue, but in a more sober, evidence-based manner. I was surprised by the ferocity of the response that went beyond countering my arguments. I had stated, we can be happy that environmental impact assessment is considered non-negotiable in SL. I was accused of wanting to get rid of environmental impact assessments and wanting to violate the Constitution andmore..

May 22 (FT) May Day rallies and massive turnouts for the ones organised by NPP seem to have created panic among older parties that are scrambling for winnable strategies through sustainable coalitions to prevent NPP from capturing power at the next election. In the middle of a raging controversy over whether to hold the General Election first or Prez Election, the Election Commission has announced that in terms of the Prez Election Act of 1981,more..

May 22 (DN) According to the Disaster Management Center, 67,591 people in 17,078 families in 114 Divisional Secretariats of 15 Districts have been affected by the bad weather conditions since last 15 days (21) at around 6pm. Due to the disaster situation one person was killed and 11 injured with two total house damages and 502 partial house damages. The number of families in the relative houses is 25 and 72 people.more..

May 22 (Island) There is a famous saying If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. SL seems to be the exception to this rule. This is no more laid bare than the current debacle with tourist visas. Most countries that want tourist dollars have visa free entry or a minimal fee. A visa is a means for controlling access and a fee act as a further deterrent. It is a form of a user fee that is designed to restrict entry. Therefore, if you want tourists to come to your country and spend money, simple economics saysmore..

May 22 (FT) SJB MP S.M. Marikkar said SJB leader Sajith Premadasa and NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake will be the primary contenders in the upcoming prez election. He suggested that Ranil Wickremesinghe is unlikely to run or fail to secure enough votes under the SLPP ticket. Marikkar said despite the various tricks by Ranil Wickremesinghe even if Wickremesinghe wins the SLPP tickets its members will not vote for him. “If he works with the minorities, sinhalese will not vote for himmore..

May 22 (TM) Customs stated that none of its existing practices, enshrined in the relevant legislation, have affected the country’s Customs revenue adversely as has been misinterpreted by certain parties, based on a recent report published by the National Audit Office. Recently, it was reported that the Govt incurs a loss of billions of rupees as Customs officers enjoy undue benefits in penalties related to Customsmore..

May 22 (DN) NMRA Chairman Dr. Ananda Wijewickrema said that the gazette to set the maximum price for another 50 medicinal drugs will be issued next week. He said that previously price control was imposed for 60 drugs and 50 more drugs will be newly added to this, increasing the number of drugs under price control to 110. NMRA will ensure the quality of the medicinal drugs provided to the patients. He said that the medicinal drug problems that happened in the past will not happenmore..

May 22 (DN) Sri Lankan Para Javelin thrower Samitha Dulan once again came to the fore when he performed his personal best of 69.46m to win silver medal of T-44/64 category also setting up a new World Record at the World Para Athletic Championship held in Kobe, Japan yesterday. Samitha Dulan the Army soldier who also the last Paralympic bronze medalist this time achieved more to get silver with a World Record and that was superb performance at World Championship.more..