By Shamindra Ferdinando in The Island, Dec 8, 2023The Court of Appeal has asked Army Commander Lt. Gen. Vikum Liyanage to promote petitioner Brig. Chandana Ranaweera to the rank of Maj. Gen. with effect from 01 Jan., 2021. The Court of Appeal bench consisting of Justices Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and Chamath Moraes has also directed that the petitioner, an officer of the Light Infantry, be paid salary, etc., he is entitled to as a Major…
Posts published in “Sri Lanka”
By Shamindra Ferdinando in The Island, Dec 7, 20232Controversy surrounds the inordinate delay in appointing the Chief of Staff and the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army against the backdrop of dissident SLPP MP Dullas Alahapperuma’s revelation in Parliament that over 27,000 soldiers had left the Army since January 2022. The former minister said so while participating in the third reading debate on Budget 2024 under the Defence Ministry expenditure heads. The Matara District MP…
By Kelum Bandara in Daily Mirror, Dec 7, 2023Colombo – With another inhuman case of ragging reported from Sri Jayewardenepura University, Higher Education Minister Suren Raghavan said many cases of harassment of juniors by their seniors within the universities go unreported but the government will leave no stone unturned in its attempt to eradicate the menace. Making his remarks in Parliament the other day, the Minister said the heads and facial hair of 15 students…
by Kelum Bandara in Daily Mirror, Dec 6, 2023Colombo, Dec.6 – President Ranil Wickremesinghe is reported to be mulling prorogation of Parliament by the middle of January, next year. Once Parliament is prorogued, pending businesses before the House will lapse, and the new Parliament, once convened by the President, has to resume them afresh. The Speaker and the MPs will continue to function. The President can prorogue Parliament for a maximum period of two months.…
By Shamindra Ferdinando in The Island, Dec 5, 2023The rebel SLPP group yesterday (04) accused President Ranil Wickremesinghe of trying to bring the legislature under his control ahead of presidential and parliamentary polls scheduled for 2024 and 2025. Addressing the weekly media briefing at Nawala, top Opposition spokesperson and former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris alleged that Wickremesinghe’s recent threat to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to ascertain the status of the Constitutional…
By Dinasena Rathugamage in The Island, Dec 5, 2023Acting on a request from the Indian security authorities, Sri Lankan police are conducting investigations in respect of seven Sri Lankans who reached Dhanushkodi from Mannar on 25 Nov., seeking asylum in India. They paid Rs 300,000 for their passage across the Palk Bay that took about three hours. They were dropped at the Third Sandbar near the Dhanushkodi islet in Rameswaram by a boat operator in…
by Asiri Fernando in The Daily Morning, Dec 3, 2023Two Chinese built Y-12IV aircraft, manufactured on order by Harbin Aviation Industry Co. Ltd, are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka during the early hours of today, with an official hand over to the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) expected tomorrow (5), The Daily Morning learns. The aircraft were expected to be ferried to Sri Lanka by a private company engaged by the manufacturer. The aircraft…
edit in The Sunday Island, Dec 3, 2023What has been widely described as the “historic” Supreme Court judgment which by a majority 4-1 decision of a five-judge bench held the Rajapaksa brothers, Mahinda, Gotabaya and Basil and other unelected officials including two past Governors of the Central Bank, a former Secretary to the President, a former Treasury Secretary and some members of the Central Bank Monetary Board responsible for landing the country in its current…
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa in The Sunday Morning, Dec 3, 2023Solar power generation: Unsolicited Chinese proposal to Irrigation Ministry?—* CEB unaware of proposal amidst controversial evaluationAnother unsolicited proposal from a Chinese company to build a floating solar plant on Malwathu Oya is currently under evaluation by the Irrigation Ministry, The Sunday Morning learns. It is reliably learnt that the proposal had been submitted to the ministry last week. When contacted, Irrigation Ministry Secretary U.D.C. Jayalal confirmed…
report in Daily FT, Dec 1, 2023The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is preparing to introduce its new political program at the second party conference, slated for December 15 at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium. Speaking at a press conference, SLPP MP Sanjeewa Edirimanna emphasised that 2024 would be an election year, and the party would therefore introduce its new political plan at the forthcoming conference. According to Edirimanne, the party has effectively strengthened its…
By Saman Indrajith in The Island, Dec 1, 2023Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa told Parliament yesterday that his party would abide by the instructions issued by Pope Francis to continue the struggle in seeking the truth about the Easter Sunday terror attacks. “I give an undertaking that our party stands by the Pope’s statement, and will not give up the struggle until we find the truth pertaining to the Easter Sunday terror attacks,” Premadasa…