Colombo (LNW): The lawsuit filed in the Singapore High Court demanding compensation for the eco damages caused by the MV X-Press Pearl disaster is set to be taken up for the first time today (09).
Sri Lanka will be represented by a law firm in Singapore at the country’s High Court, revealed Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.
The move comes in despite opinion from a number of critics that suing over the disaster at a foreign court would be disadvantageous to Sri Lanka. The Attorney General’s Office on April 26 said that legal action was being taken at a court in Singapore demanding compensation for the damage.
The cargo vessel MV X-Press Pearl was destroyed by fire and sank in the Sri Lankan waters in May, 2021 during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime, making it the worst eco disaster in the recent history and having a severe impact on the island’s sensitive coastal environment, local communities and even the economy.
Colombo (LNW): Public Servants who had submitted nominations to contest the Local Government Election will be reinstated from today (09), revealed the State Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs.
Ministry’s Secretary Ranjith Asoka said public servants who were expecting nominations will be reinstated to the nearest service requirement outside their electorates.
These public servants can report to work today and obtain a transfer to the nearest service station outside their electorates by the head of their respective institutions, he added.
Colombo (LNW): The Supreme Court has granted leave to proceed in four Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions filed by four minors, accusing the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of arresting them and coercing them into signing confessions falsely implicating Attorney-at-Law Hejaaz Hizbullah in acts of terrorism.
The petitioners, all under the age of 14, allege that in 2020 they were taken in by the CID by force and held them alone up for 12 hours without their parents and coerced into signing false confessions charging the attorney in what they described as an orchestration of them identifying Hizbullah as the ‘person who provided them with weapons training’.
The petitions are represented by Geoff Alagaratnam PC, Farman Cassim PC, attorney Shantha Jayawardena, and attorney Nuwan Bopage.
The Supreme Court bench comprised Justices Murdhu Fernando, Priyantha Fernando, and A.M.D. Nawaz to hear the cases.
A search operation conducted by the Navy in the South beach area of Mandaitivu Island, Jaffna (08th May 2023) led to the recovery of over 85kg (wet weight) of Kerala cannabis.
The Navy often conducts patrols and search operations in the coastal and sea areas of the island, with a view to preventing smuggling acts and other illegal activities stemming from sea routes.
During a search operation carried out by SLNS Welusumana in the Northern Naval Command this morning, the recovery of 03 sacks of Kerala cannabis was made from shrubs nearby South beach area of Mandaitivu Island, Jaffna. The sacks contained 22 packages stuffed with Kerala cannabis weighing about 85kg and 450g, which were taken into naval custody.
Meanwhile, the gross street value of the stock of Kerala cannabis held in this search operation is believed to be over Rs. 28 million. The consignment of narcotic substance has been kept in the naval custody until it is handed over to authorities for onward legal action.
Colombo (LNW): Naval and fishing communities are advised not to venture into the sea areas bounded by (01N – 12N) and between (85E – 100E) until further notice, due to the ongoing low-level atmospheric disturbance in the south east Bay of Bengal area, which has intensified in to a low-pressure area, the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology announced.
The system will gradually develop into a depression on May 09 and then into a cyclonic storm on the following day (10), more likely to move north-northeastwards Bangladesh Myanmar coasts, the statement said.
Due to the occurrence, wind speeds will be (50-60) kmph and can increase up to 70 kmph in sea areas bounded by (01N – 12N) and (85E – 95E).
Meanwhile, showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, North-Western and Southern provinces, and several spells of showers will occur in Northern provinces, the Department said.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places elsewhere over the island particularly during the afternoon or night, and strong winds about (40-45) kmph can be expected at times over western and southern coastal areas and along the western slopes of the central hills, it added.
General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
PMD: Arrangements have been made to hold the National War Heroes Commemoration Ceremony with pride to honour the Nation’s war heroes who died in the Thirty Years’ War in Sri Lanka under the patronage of Commander-in-Chief, President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
A preliminary discussion was held at the Presidential Secretariat today (08) under the chairmanship of Mr. Sagala Ratnayake, the President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of the Presidential Staff.
The National War Heroes Ceremony will be held on May 19 at the Battaramulla War Heroes Memorial.
Former Presidents, Prime Ministers, Deputy Ministers, the Speaker the Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Chiefs of Defence, as well as Commanders of the three armed forces including the Inspector General of Police and the war heroes who were injured in the war, the relatives of the fallen war heroes as well as school cadet groups, will be to be invited to participate in this war hero commemoration ceremony.
Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne (retired) said that this war hero celebration has been organized this year, with a special war drum beat and floral tributes to appreciate the bravery heroism and eternal memories of the war heroes of the Army, Air and Navy, Police and Civil Defence Department who laid down their lives to secure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.
State Minister of Defence Mr. Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon, the commanders of the three armed forces, including the Inspector General of Police, and the heads of the departments of the security forces participated in this discussion.
01. Public servants who had submitted nominations for the LG Polls to be reinstated from today: Secretary to the Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry Ranjith Asoka says they will be attached to the nearest service requirement outside their electorates; asserts they can report to work and get a transfer to the nearest service requirement outside their electorates by the head of the institution.
02. PUCSL Chief Janaka Ratnayake says the electricity consumers should receive an immediate electricity tariff reduction of approx. 20% given the facts pertaining to reduced electricity demand, exchange rate and fuel prices in Sri Lanka; asserts the PUCSL’s demand forecast has been proven by the actual demand for January to April 2023 and reduced demand forecasted by the CEB for the rest of the year.
03. SJB decides to put forward a candidate for the upcoming Presidential Election: Party’s working committee decides to build a broad alliance led by the SJB and to delegate power to Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa for the purpose of ensuring the candidate’s victory.
04. The lawsuit filed in Singapore High Court demanding compensation for the damages caused by the MV X-Press Pearl disaster to be taken up for the first time today: A law firm in Singapore to represent Sri Lanka in the case.
05. Supreme Court grants leave to proceed in four FR petitions filed by four children, all under the age of 14, who have alleged that they were arrested by the CID and coerced into signing confessions to falsely implicate Attorney-at-Law Hejaaz Hizbullah in acts of terrorism.
06. Corruption galore at the Kotelawala Defence University and its affiliated hospital, as many employees are in a quandary about how decisions are made at the Board of Management that do not bring any return to the institution but on the alleged behest of its VC Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Milinda Peiris, who is serving his second tenure violating its Act; allege this course of action has brought adverse impacts not only to the hospital but also to the National Treasury.
07. Arrangements have been made to hold the National War Heroes Commemoration Ceremony with pride to honour the Nation’s war heroes who died in the Thirty Years’ War in Sri Lanka under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Commander-in-Chief.
08. The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (MMCASL) opens its new exhibition ‘The Foreigners’ at its premises, bringing together the works of 15 contemporary artists who use varying media to address the entangled ways in which foreignness is inscribed onto them, making them as strangers, outsiders, or transgressors.
09. The government expenditure in December swells by Rs. 1 trillion; closes the 2022 fiscal year at Rs. 4.47 trillion: Recurrent expenditure increases by 28% to Rs. 3.5 trillion fuelled by hike in domestic interest payments; salaries and wages and welfare: State revenue crosses Rs. 2 trillion mark with a 38% rise of Rs. 548 billion over 2021: Income taxes are the biggest revenue source; up 77% to Rs. 534 billion; relegates VAT to second place at Rs. 463 billion, up 50% from in 2021: CBSL profit transfer doubles to Rs. 30 billion in 2022.
10. The eyesight of ten individuals who had undergone eye surgeries at the Nuwara Eliya District General Hospital have weakened due to complications sustained by the use of ‘Prednisolone’, an eye drop used to treat mild to moderate non-infectious eye allergies and inflammation, imported from India: DGHS Dr. Asela Gunawardena says “this particular batch of Prednisolone had been withdrawn, while eye surgeries had also been suspended in the hospital.”
Continuing his ongoing dialogue with the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in New Delhi Milinda Moragoda met with the former at the Prime Minister’s Office on 05 May 2023.
High Commissioner Moragoda thanked Dr. Mishra for the support India has been extending to Sri Lanka in the context of the present economic crisis and updated him on the current developments in that regard, including on the debt restructuring process. The High Commissioner stressed the vital role that economic integration between the two countries could play in Sri Lanka’s economic recovery. The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister recalled India’s close civilizational links with its southern neighbour.
High Commissioner Moragoda also followed up with the Principal Secretary on a range of issues pertaining to the bilateral relationship that had been discussed during their last meeting in February. The matters discussed included further economic integration between Sri Lanka and India, enhancing Indian investments and tourism in Sri Lanka, ways and means to further promote bilateral trade, cooperation in power and energy sector as well as aspects relating to Rupee trade.
A cabinet rank official, Dr. Mishra has been serving as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since September 2019.
Joint Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office Ambassador Deepak Mittal and Sri Lanka’s Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi Niluka Kadurugamuwa also attended this meeting.
The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva together with the Permanent Mission of Thailand co-hosted a commemorative event to mark the International Day of Vesak at the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) on Vesak Full Moon Day, 5th May 2023.
The event commenced with opening remarks by co-hosts, Ambassador Himalee Arunatilaka of Sri Lanka and Ambassador Suphatra Srimaitreephithak of Thailand, highlighting the importance of the day of Vesak to millions of Buddhists around the world.
Ambassador Arunatilaka underlined the key role played by Sri Lanka in gaining international recognition for the Day of Vesak through the resolution adopted by consensus in the UN General Assembly in February 2000, following a proposal tabled by then Foreign Minister, the late Lakshman Kadirgamar, on behalf of 10 countries, titled “International Recognition of the Day of Vesak”.
She also referred to the Vesak Day messages issued by President Ranil Wickremasinghe and Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, and noted that, the Four Virtues of Metta -loving kindness, Karuna – compassion, Muditha,- empathetic joy, and Upekha – equanimity, that are upheld in Buddhist philosophy, are morals for all humanity to aspire to, and also resonated with the values of the UN, while the Buddha is acclaimed as a great scientific thinker and philosopher whose teachings are universal and stand contemporary even today.
Director General of the UNOG Tatiana Valovaya delivering the welcome remarks recalled the contribution Buddhism has made to humanity and the relevance of the teachings of the Buddha to overcome the global challenges of today.
The Keynote address by the President of the Union of Thai Sangha in Europe, the Most Venerable Phravimolsasanavides was delivered through his representative.
Vesak Day messages were also delivered by the Permanent Representatives of Bhutan, China, India, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal and Viet Nam. The event was attended by the Permanent Representatives of Pakistan, Lithuania, Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Panama, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Uganda, as well as diplomatic representatives from a number of countries including Portugal, France, Norway, Brazil, Cape Verde, Iran, Ireland,Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and members of the Buddhist community.
The event concluded with religious blessings delivered by the participating Members of the Maha Sangha.
Colombo (LNW): The United Nations has been a significant partner of Sri Lanka providing technical and financial support for many of the development initiatives, said Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe, addressing the Sri Lanka Partnership Accelerator Forum in collaboration with the United Nations.
He noted that a partnership accelerator forum would be very important for addressing sustainable development, and assured that the government of Sri Lanka is committed to the establishment of sustainable development.
The politicisation has severely challenged the development , constraining the ability to achieve inclusive sustainable development, he added.
