June 01, Colombo (LNW): In a decision that brings a measure of relief to motorists and transport operators, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) has confirmed that fuel prices across the board will remain unchanged for the month of June 2025.
According to the statement issued by the state-run fuel supplier, existing prices for both petrol and diesel will continue through June without alteration.
This includes Auto Diesel at Rs. 274 per litre, Super Diesel at Rs. 325, Petrol 92 Octane at Rs. 293, Petrol 95 Octane at Rs. 341, and Kerosene at Rs. 178.
June 01, Colombo (LNW): Prevailing showery condition in the southwestern part of the island is expected to reduce gradually from today (01), the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather forecast today.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts.
Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night.
Fairly strong winds of about (30-40) kmph can be expected at times over Western slopes of the central hills and in Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in Hambantota and Trincomalee districts.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Marine Weather:
Condition of Rain: Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Hambantota via Colombo and Galle. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places over the other sea areas around the island.
Winds: Winds will be south-westerly and wind speed will be (30-40) kmph. Wind speed can increase up to 50 kmph at times in the sea areas off the coast extending from Chilaw to Kankasanthurai via Puttalam and Mannar and from Galle to Pottuvil via Hambantota.
State of Sea: The sea areas off the coast extending from Chilaw to Kankasanthurai via Puttalam and Mannar and from Galle to Pottuvil via Hambantota will be rough at times.
The wave height (about 2.0–2.5 m) may increase in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Pottuvil via Colombo, Galle and Hambantota (this is not for land area).
Naval and fishing communities are requested to be vigilant in this regard.
Temporarily strong wind gust and very rough seas can be expected during thundershowers.
Once polluted and suffering from depopulation, Naoshima has become Japan’s hottest contemporary art enclave – and there are signs that life there may be finally rebounding.
Shinichi Kobayashi has idyllic memories of growing up on Naoshima, one of the nearly 3,000 islands scattered across Japan’s Seto Inland Sea.
“We would go clam digging,” said the 75-year-old, who became the island’s mayor in 2018. “During the summer, I would spend entire days swimming in the sea, catching turban shells and fish, getting deeply tanned.”
“I don’t recall seeing any foreign visitors,” he added.
Kobayashi’s home island is no longer off the tourist radar – thanks to the power of modern art. Since the 1989 launch of what has become Benesse Art Site Naoshima – a multi-island art initiative initiated by billionaire Sōichirō Fukutake – more than 500,000 visitors now flock annually to Naoshima, whose fishing villages, rice fields and craggy coastlines have become the canvas for mesmerising art installations and ambitious museums. In 2010, the Setouchi Triennale launched. The contemporary art festival – which is now one of Japan’s foremost international art events – attracts roughly one million visitors to the region each Triennale season. The sixth edition kicked off on 18 April this year and will run until 9 November; the longest Setouchi Triennale ever.
Once polluted and facing depopulation, Naoshima now teems with edgy art installations (Credit: Alamy)
Forty years ago, few would have imagined such a transformation. In the early 20th Century, Naoshima had cemented its reputation as a copper smelting hub, but by the 1980s, it was heavily polluted; the raw, rocky land around the Mitsubishi Materials industrial plant denuded of vegetation. The population dwindled dramatically as the young left to seek opportunities in larger cities.
Fukutake’s father, publishing magnate Tetsuhiko Fukutake, and Naoshima’s then-mayor, Chikatsugu Miyake, aspired to revitalise the bleak area by founding a children’s campground. Tetsuhiko died before the project was completed, leaving it to his son. Shocked by Naoshima’s pollution, the younger Fukutake purchased a large swathe of the island’s unblighted south side. His new plan: to transform the region by erecting attractive museums against its serene coastal landscapes. To enact his vision, he tapped Osaka-born architect Tadao Andō, who had become known for designing buildings that blended seamlessly into their surroundings.
“I was surprised by the idea and thought it would be difficult to achieve,” Andō said in a 2018 interview where he and Fukutake discussed the project’s origins. “It was so inconvenient! Who would come here?”
“This project began as an act of resistance,” explained Fukutake in the interview. “It was my conscious intention to build a kind of heaven on Earth – the very first paradise that harmonises art, nature and the local community.”
Since 1992, the Benesse House Museum has been a haven for the works of today’s leading contemporary artists (Credit: Alamy)
Naoshima was named one of BBC Travel’s 25 best places to visit in 2025, a list highlighting destinations that are not only welcoming visitors, but using tourism as a force for good. See the full list here.
The island’s evolution into a globally renowned open-air museum and international contemporary arts hub was all but assured in 1994, when Yayoi Kusama’s yellow and black-spotted Pumpkin was added to the landscape’s growing collection of public artworks. This iconic work has since become emblematic of Naoshima itself.
“[The] initial goal wasn’t to promote tourism,” said Soichiro Fukutake’s son, Hideaki, who now helms the Fukutake Foundation. “But rather to revitalise the region through art and help locals feel a renewed sense of pride in their hometown.”
But the mission hasn’t just been about building anew. Since 1998 and the start of the Art House Project in the nearby fishing village of Honmura, “using what exists to create what is to be” has been a guiding principle, leading to many defunct buildings on Naoshima and the neighbouring islands of Teshima and Inujima to be reborn as art. These include two projects by artist Shinrō Ōtake: Haisha, an old dentist’s building transformed with collage, reclaimed materials and a partial giant copy of the Statue of Liberty; and Naoshima Bath “I♥︎湯”, a public bathhouse now plastered in a patchwork of patterned tiles on the exterior to the full-scale model of an elephant striding across the dividing wall between the male and female bathing sections.
The dynamic Naoshima Bath “I♥︎湯” installation started its life as an abandoned bathhouse (Credit: Alamy)
Some locals were initially sceptical about the general appeal of such artworks. In the 1980s Toshio Hamaguchi worked for Naoshima’s town office and guided executives from Fukutake’s company around the island when the International Camp was first being planned. “I did not expect that we would attract many people by such a project, and particularly by art,” recalls the retiree. “However, we have so many visitors thanks to art now.”
Since his initial commissions on Naoshima, Andō has designed nine other projects on the island, including the Chichu Art Museum, of which a large portion is built directly into the earth; and the Naoshima New Museum of Art, opening 31 May, which will showcase contemporary art from Japan and Asia. The inaugural exhibition – titled From the Origin to the Future – will feature works by the likes of Japan’s Takashi Murakami and Makoto Aida, Cai Guo-Qiang from China and the Korean artist Do Ho Suh.
Like the Chichu Art Museum, the Naoshima New Museum of Art blends seamlessly with the environment by burying two of its three storeys beneath the ground. “It’s one of the most ambitious and exciting projects we’ve undertaken,” said Hideaki Fukutake.
As mayor, Kobayashi notes the economic benefits: “Thanks to the increasing number of visitors, guesthouses and restaurants have flourished, helping make everyday life more vibrant for the locals.”
He added: “That said, we’ve also seen some changes, like more people locking their doors, which wasn’t common in the past… For me, what matters most is that the residents can live cheerfully, energetically and happily.”
Threatening this is the island’s persistent issue of depopulation: Naoshima currently has 3,000 residents, around half the number it had in the 1980s. “Personally, I strongly wish to increase it,” said Kobayashi. “Even if just by one person.”
However, there are glimmers of hope; a 2024 Asahi Shimbun article cited that though the island’s population was in decline in 2022, the number of newcomers has risen slightly but steadily each year since. Over the past five years, 500 people – mainly married urban couples in their 30s and 40s – moved to the island, attracted by its unique artsy beauty. Many Benesse Art Site Naoshima staff have relocated to the island while others have come to fill jobs in the booming hospitality industry – so much so that Naoshima is now facing a housing shortage. Mitsubishi Materials has also significantly cleaned up its copper smelting operations, improving the overall quality of life.
Speaking at a conference on Naoshima in 2023, Eriko Ōsaka, a respected curator and general director of The National Art Center, Tokyo, credited Benesse Art Site Naoshima organisers with changing the island’s image “from being a negative one to a positive one through the power of art”.
In Ōsaka’s opinion, visitors to Naoshima “can experience serendipity that they can find nowhere else and discover something unknown within themselves”. For her, the success of Benesse Art Site Naoshima means that some of those islanders who have moved away “will come back one day”.
Sri Lanka is set to revamp its outdated gambling laws with the introduction of a new bill aimed at creating a Gambling Regulatory Authority.
Backed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his capacity as Finance Minister, the legislation seeks to modernize the country’s gaming sector and replace three antiquated laws—the Horse Racing Betting Ordinance, the Gambling Ordinance of 1889, and the Casino Ordinance.
The proposed Authority will serve as the sole independent regulator overseeing both land-based and online gambling operations, including offshore activities in the Colombo Port City. A Cabinet statement on April 21 emphasized the new body’s role in promoting transparency, enhancing tax revenue, and curbing illegal gambling.
The draft legislation, which has been cleared by the Attorney General and gazetted ahead of parliamentary debate, also mandates the Authority to enforce compliance, prevent money laundering, and promote ethical practices in the gaming industry.
Amid these regulatory changes, Sri Lanka’s casino sector is expanding with significant new investments. Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd, a global casino operator, is slated to open a casino in Colombo’s upcoming City of Dreams Sri Lanka resort in late 2025.
Melco, via its subsidiary Bluehaven Services (Pvt) Ltd, secured a 20-year casino license effective April 1, 2024, and plans to invest $125 million into the gaming facilities as part of a broader $1 billion project led by John Keells Holdings PLC.
Additionally, two joint ventures have been approved from ten applications submitted to the Ministry of Finance, reflecting growing interest in the sector. One key partnership is between Sri Lanka’s Golden Island Hospitality Ltd and India’s Majestic Group Hotels and Casinos.
The duo received a license on August 1, 2024, to launch the Majestic Pride Casino at the Colombo Lotus Tower. The tower, the tallest in South Asia, will now serve not just as a broadcasting hub but also as a tourism and entertainment hotspot.
The government has introduced stringent licensing requirements for new entrants. According to a 2024 gazette notification, casino operators must invest at least $250 million to qualify, paying a Rs. 10 billion license fee and an annual renewal fee of the same amount. Operators investing $500 million or more will pay a reduced Rs. 5 billion license fee but still face a Rs. 10 billion annual renewal charge.
These reforms are part of Sri Lanka’s broader push to grow its tourism and entertainment sectors while tightening control over gambling operations. Existing casinos have already been subjected to revised fees, including a five-year renewable charge of Rs. 500 million and a 15% tax on revenue.
Plans are also underway to raise the local entry fee from $50 to $200 over the next three years to discourage local gambling.Currently, five licensed casinos operate in Sri Lanka, three owned by Dhammika Perera and two by Ravi Wijeratne.
In a significant move to modernize trade processes and boost revenue efficiency, Sri Lanka Customs is set to streamline cargo clearance procedures through the introduction of several digital tools and initiatives. This includes the implementation of an automated risk management system aimed at fast-tracking low-risk consignments while improving the detection of high-risk shipments.
Director General of Customs, P.B.S.C. Nonis Arukgoda, announced that the new risk management system will identify potentially problematic cargo, allowing other shipments to be cleared more efficiently. “Once we identify these consignments, we can fast-track the release of others. By automating the system, we improve our detection rates,” he said at a recent press briefing.
Another major innovation being rolled out is TrackMyCusDec, a tracking platform that enables traders and stakeholders to monitor the clearance status of their consignments in real time. In addition, a motorcycle verification app is being launched to enhance consumer protection. With this app, prospective vehicle buyers can verify whether a motorcycle has been legally imported and if taxes have been paid, simply by entering the chassis number. Arukgoda noted that this would deter the sale of smuggled or untaxed vehicles in the local market.
These customs reforms are part of broader efforts linked to National Tax Week, which begins at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, June 2. Senior Additional Secretary to the President, U.D.N. Jayaweera, stated that the initiative aims to enhance public understanding of tax compliance and foster a responsible tax-paying culture.
“The campaign is designed to shift negative perceptions about taxation, increase compliance, and highlight how tax revenue supports national development,” Jayaweera said. Throughout the week, the public will be educated on the allocation of tax funds and the tangible benefits they help deliver to Sri Lankans.
National Tax Week is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Presidential Secretariat, in partnership with the Revenue Administration Reforms and Modernisation Task Force, the Ministry of Finance, and key tax revenue-generating bodies: the Inland Revenue Department, Customs Department, and Excise Department.
Jayaweera emphasized that taxation must be rooted in voluntary compliance rather than coercion. He urged all liable citizens, including those yet to register, to fulfill their obligations. The Tax Shakthi programme will serve as a key educational platform during the week, providing guidance on tax payments, reporting requirements, and the importance of compliance.
These reforms and awareness efforts mark a concerted push by the government to enhance transparency, improve tax collection, and build public trust in fiscal governance.
The Sri Lankan government is considering scaling back the generous tax holidays and exemptions offered to mega development projects under the Strategic Development Act (SDA), including those linked to the Colombo Port City. This move comes in response to recommendations by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has urged the country to revise its fiscal policies to enhance revenue collection and ensure sustainable debt repayment.
Currently, investments under the Colombo Port City enjoy sweeping tax concessions, such as exemptions from customs duties, VAT, and port and airport development levies. Additionally, the Port City Commission, empowered by the Port City Act, can grant tax exemptions for up to 40 years on a range of taxes, including income tax, entertainment tax, and the casino regulation levy, for businesses deemed to be of strategic national interest.
However, the IMF has flagged these wide-ranging concessions as a major hindrance to Sri Lanka’s fiscal recovery. The organization recommends shortening the duration of tax holidays, reducing them from the current 25-year period to a more moderate timeframe, and removing exemptions for projects not aligned with national strategic priorities. These suggestions are part of a broader governance reform framework aimed at streamlining investment incentives and strengthening economic resilience.
Meanwhile, political concerns have added complexity to the issue. Former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka has alleged that Chinese companies, which supported President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent visit to China, are lobbying for additional tax breaks. He claims this quid-pro-quo expectation is delaying the release of the next IMF funding tranche, as the IMF is reluctant to back tax relief that appears politically influenced.
Ranawaka also criticized the President’s recent travel to Vietnam, which included a return on a private jet, hinting that further undisclosed tax concessions might be linked to such trips. He warned that such political deals could impose long-term financial burdens on the country.
In line with the IMF’s 2023 Governance Diagnostic Assessment, which called for the repeal of the SDA, the Finance Ministry now plans to suspend the Act and replace it with a new Priority Investment Project Act. This legislation would introduce transparent and rules-based eligibility criteria to ensure tax incentives are effectively targeted and limited in duration.
Amendments to the SDA are expected to be presented in Parliament by August 2025. These will also impose new taxes on investors in the Colombo Port City and restrict the scope of exemptions. All investment proposals will be subject to clearer evaluation criteria, aiming to balance investor interest with national revenue goals.
The IMF has emphasized that such reforms are essential to prevent further revenue losses and to stabilize Sri Lanka’s economy amid its ongoing financial crisis. The government plans to fully implement the revised framework, including new rules for Port City investment eligibility, by the end of September 2025.
Sri Lanka’s state-run Pelwatte Sugar Factory is facing a critical operational and financial crisis, with nearly 17,000 metric tonnes of unsold brown sugar piling up in its warehouses and the next sugarcane harvest looming.
Lanka Sugar Company COO Nuwan Dharmaratne warns that without clearing the current sugar stock, the factory cannot process the upcoming harvest. “We’re struggling with an overdraft of Rs. 11.2 million and unpaid statutory dues of Rs. 30 million,” he said. The company’s cash flow has also been hit hard by falling ethanol prices and unsold molasses.
At the heart of the crisis is a discriminatory tax policy. Locally produced brown sugar is subject to an 18% VAT, making it up to Rs. 150 more expensive per kilogram than imported white sugar, which is tax-exempt. “We sell at Rs. 250, but it retails over Rs. 400, while imported white sugar is under Rs. 300,” Dharmaratne explained. “Consumers go by price, not health benefits.”
In a desperate move to pay May salaries and settle dues to farmers, management reportedly sold 500 metric tonnes of sugar at Rs. 199 per kilogram—well below the Rs. 283 production cost—resulting in a Rs. 42 million loss. Workers allege the sale was a financial misstep, though company Chairperson Sandamali Chandrasekara denies it was made at a loss.
The company had requested a Rs. 5 billion bailout loan from the Treasury, which was rejected. With monthly operational costs close to Rs. 1 billion—including wages for 3,900 employees—the company’s future hangs in the balance.
Sri Lanka imports over 600,000 metric tonnes of sugar annually, with local producers like Pelwatte accounting for just 40,000 metric tonnes. However, these producers face an uneven playing field and lack state protection, making competition with cheap imports unsustainable.
Government efforts to support local sugar through retail networks like Sathosa have shown little impact. Further complicating matters, the government is now considering converting around 15,000 hectares of land owned by Pelwatte and Sevanagala factories into tourism zones under a Public-Private Partnership model.
Industry Minister Sunil Handunnetti claims the PPP move will cut brown sugar production costs and attract investment, promising no layoffs.
But Dharmaratne insists that without urgent policy changes—especially scrapping the VAT on brown sugar and controlling sugar imports—the factory may not survive. “We’ve appealed to the government multiple times, but there’s been no action,” he said.
With the crushing season fast approaching, industry experts warn that Sri Lanka’s domestic sugar production may face collapse unless immediate reforms are made. The future of one of the country’s few local sugar producers now hangs by a thread.
The National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) of the Health Ministry has issued red notices to 18 schools across the country as part of a nationwide special mosquito control programme recently carried out to curb the rising threat of dengue.
Speaking at a media briefing organized by the Sri Lanka Medical Association, Dr. Anoja Dheerasinghe, Consultant Community Physician at the NDCU, revealed that inspections were carried out at 257 schools, of which 131—amounting to 51%—were found to have mosquito breeding sites. Alarmingly, 37 schools (14.4%) were found to have active mosquito larvae.
The programme, conducted from May 19 to 24, covered 95 health medical officer divisions across 15 districts. It was implemented jointly by the Ministry of Health and Mass Media in collaboration with the NDCU, focusing on identifying and eliminating potential dengue breeding sites, particularly in high-risk areas such as school premises. The issuance of red notices signifies the urgent need for these schools to implement corrective measures to mitigate further dengue risks.
First Imported Coconut Milk Consignment Undergoes Testing as Government Targets Lower Prices
The first batch of imported coconut milk under the Government’s raw material importation programme is scheduled to undergo clearance and laboratory testing today (May 31), marking a significant step in the Plantation Industries Ministry’s efforts to stabilize domestic coconut prices and support local industry.
Approved by the Cabinet, the initiative aims to provide essential raw materials to coconut-based industries, with the goal of easing the burden on local coconut supplies. The current consignment under inspection includes frozen coconut milk, coconut milk powder, and chunked coconut with testa (non-copra), representing the equivalent of 200 million coconuts.
Launched in March 2025, the programme addresses the raw material shortages faced by the coconut milk powder industry in particular. Officials expect that this importation strategy will help reduce the cost pressures in the market and bring down retail coconut prices, while ensuring consistent supply for manufacturers reliant on coconut-based inputs.The first batch of imported coconut milk under the Government’s raw material importation programme is scheduled to undergo clearance and laboratory testing today (May 31), marking a significant step in the Plantation Industries Ministry’s efforts to stabilize domestic coconut prices and support local industry.
Approved by the Cabinet, the initiative aims to provide essential raw materials to coconut-based industries, with the goal of easing the burden on local coconut supplies. The current consignment under inspection includes frozen coconut milk, coconut milk powder, and chunked coconut with testa (non-copra), representing the equivalent of 200 million coconuts.
Launched in March 2025, the programme addresses the raw material shortages faced by the coconut milk powder industry in particular. Officials expect that this importation strategy will help reduce the cost pressures in the market and bring down retail coconut prices, while ensuring consistent supply for manufacturers reliant on coconut-based inputs.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has reported widespread power outages across multiple regions in Sri Lanka following strong gusty winds that swept through Colombo and other parts of the country on Thursday night. According to the CEB, a total of 29,015 electricity breakdowns have been recorded nationwide as a result of the prevailing adverse weather conditions.
CEB Media Spokesman Dhammika Wimalaratne stated that repair teams have been deployed to the affected areas in order to restore electricity as quickly as possible. The CEB has also urged the public to report any ongoing power outages through the dedicated ‘1987’ hotline or the ‘CEBCare’ mobile application for prompt assistance.
