Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekera, revealed the appointment of Surath Ovitigama as the Chairman of the Petroleum Development Authority. Minister Wijesekera introduced Surath Ovitigama as an energy sector expert with an impressive track record, boasting over 20 years of international experience. Ovitigama’s career has taken him to various energy hubs, including the UK, the Norway North Sea oil and gas sector, and South East Asia.

Notably, Surath Ovitigama had previously held the position of Director General of the Petroleum Development Authority starting in 2020. As the newly appointed Chairman, he will be entrusted with the crucial task of accelerating and executing the development and regulation of Oil and Gas exploration, offshore energy resources. He will also be responsible for establishing national policies, a roadmap, safety measures, and regulatory frameworks for the production, utilization, and export of green hydrogen.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized the significance of tropical regions in the context of biodiversity and climate change challenges. According to reports from the President’s Media Division, he proposed the launch of a dedicated program to assist tropical countries in addressing future climate change challenges.

President Wickremesinghe underscored that tropical nations are home to the world’s most biodiverse regions, citing that 80% of the world’s endemic plants and 50% of coral reefs and mangroves are concentrated in these areas. He further mentioned Sri Lanka’s proactive efforts toward establishing an international university with a specific focus on climate change, capitalizing on the unique ecological context it possesses.

The President delivered these remarks during his address at the high-level conference, “Green Silk Road for Harmony with Nature,” which took place at the China International Conference Hall on October 18. This conference was held in conjunction with the 3rd “Belt and Road Initiative” International Forum. Notably, the conference was chaired by Han Zheng, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China. Distinguished figures, including the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and leaders from various participating countries, also shared their insights on the crucial subject of climate change and environmental harmony. President Wickremesinghe’s proposal underlines the growing global awareness of the need to protect and preserve the world’s biodiversity-rich tropical regions in the face of climate change challenges.

Showers or thundershowers will occur over most parts of the island after 2.00 p.m.

Fairly heavy showers above 75 mm can be expected at some places in Western, Northwestern, Southern, Central and Eastern provinces.

Showers will occur in Western, Southern, Northwestern, and Eastern provinces during the morning too.

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

Saudi Arabian Ambassador Khalid bin Hamoud Alkahtani held a meeting with Sri Lankan Education Minister Susil Premajayantha in his office at the Ministry of Education. The discussion covered various issues of mutual interest and explored avenues for strengthening the amicable relationship between the two nations.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Pakistan Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar engaged in bilateral discussions in Beijing yesterday afternoon (17). This meeting took place on the side-lines of the ‘One Belt – One Road’ international conference in China.

During their meeting, both leaders emphasized the global imperative of cultivating a harmonious society free from animosity, prejudice and anger arising from racial, religious or ethnic differences. They stressed the paramount importance of addressing the challenge of fostering a unified society based on shared humanity, where divisions driven by race, religion or ethnicity give way to unity and mutual understanding.

Subsequently, President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar engaged in an extensive discourse concerning the economic crises that affected both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with a particular focus on strategies for recovery.

Moreover, the leaders deliberated on the critical developments unfolding in the Gaza Strip. In this regard, a consensus was reached to issue a joint statement, reflecting their common stance on the matter.

This pivotal meeting was further enriched by the presence of distinguished delegates, including Pakistan’s Finance Minister, Shamshad Akhtar and Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry.

State Minister of Trade S. Viyalanderan, expressed the need for Tamil political leaders to collaborate with President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s flexible approach to achieve national unity and address the challenges faced by the Tamil population.

State Minister Viyalanderan emphasized that the economic difficulties experienced by the people during the recent past have begun to see some relief. He stressed the importance of everyone rallying behind the continuous and effective advancement of the President-led government’s program aimed at a complete economic recovery for the nation.

State Minister Viyalanderan made these remarks during a press briefing held at the Presidential Media Centre on the 17th, under the theme ‘Collective Path to a stable country’.

The State Minister further elaborated:

“The country is gradually emerging from its economic downturn, but the process is not yet complete. We cannot claim that the financial burden on the people has been entirely lifted. However, considerable progress has been made in mitigating the hardships faced by the people during the preceding economic crisis. Further measures are required to alleviate these hardships.

Relevant ministries, led by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, are diligently working towards this objective. The effort must be on-going and highly efficient, requiring collective engagement. As the Minister of State overseeing this matter, it is our responsibility to further reduce the prices of essential commodities in the country.

The escalation in the cost of essential goods directly impacts the everyday lives of the people in our country. Thus, it is imperative to lower the prices of commodities to meet the public’s expectations. Recognizing this, the Ministry of Commerce is taking decisive steps to ensure the availability of essential goods at affordable prices.

Despite price reductions in many essential goods, certain traders have yet to adjust their pricing. Some items continue to be sold at higher rates. Consequently, we have instructed the officials of the Consumer Affairs Authority to initiate legal action against those responsible.

In addition to economic challenges, we are actively working to find resolutions to the ethnic issues and foster national harmony. In this context, President Wickremesinghe has convened multiple rounds of discussions with members of both the ruling and opposition parties, both inside and outside parliament, to deliberate on matters such as the 13th Amendment and related topics. These discussions are on-going, with diverse opinions being voiced. However, our commitment remains to meet the expectations of the people.

It is worth noting that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a Tamil person as the Governor of the Eastern Province for the first time. We express gratitude to the President for this significant step. The current President is particularly dedicated to addressing the concerns of the Tamil community and President Wickremesinghe’s flexibility provides an opportunity for Tamil leaders to engage in constructive dialogue to resolve our issues. This should be regarded as their shared responsibility.

We must actively involve Tamil leaders and civil society activists in discussions concerning our challenges. This process must be expedited.

It is essential to acknowledge that, within the brief period available, we have initiated numerous projects. Furthermore, we will continue implementing development initiatives, including road construction, bridge projects and improvements in agriculture and fisheries, as well as enhancing the livelihoods of our citizens. Measures have also been taken to combat unauthorized sand mining in the Eastern Province, with a focus on environmental preservation and resource conservation.”

 PMD

A protest was organized by the Union of Environmental Organizations in front of the Colombo Fort railway station today (18) under the name of ‘යුක්තියේ අඩහැරය’.

The organizers said that the protest will be held for the wild elephants who has been killed in the past. The environmental organizations pointed out that due to the killing of wild elephants in the past, the freedom of living of these animals is being knowingly abolished.

They alleged that the Department of Forests and Wildlife, which should intervene for the safety of wild animals, has also forgotten its role.

Accordingly, it was emphasized to the responsible parties that the right to live of wild elephants should be confirmed immediately.

Civil society activists including trade unions were also present for this protest.

Photos – Ajith Seneviratne

By: Staff Writer

Colombo (LNW): President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reappointed current police Chief C.D. Wickramaratne despite the Constitutional Council unanimously vetoing the service extension given last week.

The Constitutional Council had taken an undivided decision at its meeting yesterday (Oct. 17) to reject the third tenure extension granted to Wickramaratne, who was appointed as the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) in November 2020 and was supposed to retire from the police service on March 26, 2023.

President Wickremesinghe had extended his tenure by 3 months on two occasions – on March 26 and July 09 – by way of special gazette notifications.

The second tenure prolongation came to an end on October 09. IGP Wickramaratne was, however, granted yet another service extension of 3 weeks on October 13.

President Wickremesinghe, who is currently on a four-day official visit to China, has reportedly been given instructions from Beijing to make the necessary arrangements to reappoint IGP Wickramaratne.

The Constitutional Council has declined to grant a third service extension to IGP C.D. Wickramaratne, citing the Government’s policy not to extend the service of State sector employees over the age of 60, sources said.

The Constitutional Council had met in Parliament under the Chairmanship of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday afternoon.

Also in attendance were Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, Member of Parliament Sagara Kariyawasam, and civil representatives.

President’s representative to the Council, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva was absent from the meeting as he is currently visiting India.

Wickramaratne was due to retire on 25 March this year. Currently, both the President and Subject Minister Tiran Alles, are overseas.

A final decision regarding the position of the Inspector General of Police will be made upon their return, according to sources in the President’s Office.

According to sources from Police Headquarters, Senior DIG Administration Nilantha Jayawardena, Senior DIG Western Province Deshabandu Tennekoon, and Senior DIG Central Province Lalith Pathinayake remain the top contenders for the coveted position.

However, allegations of dereliction of duty over the Easter Sunday attack have been levelled against all three while various parties including the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka have urged the President to refrain from appointing either of them to the position.