Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe will be next to an independent symbol on the ballot paper, according to United National Party (UNP) general secretary Palitha Range Bandara.

Bandara told reporters that the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will have its symbol, the lotus bud, on the ballot if the party decides to contest.

He was responding to a question about a comment SLPP parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa had made that the lotus bud would definitely appear on the ballot paper no matter what.

“If the SLPP contests, their symbol will be there on the ballot paper. Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe will be contesting under an independent symbol, so for us there is no issue of a lotus bud being there,” he said.

Bandara also reiterated that the presidential election will definitely be held this year, despite speculation to the contrary.

“We’re getting ready for a presidential election. The election commission is ready for a presidential election. No matter who makes what request, a parliamentary election can only be held in 2025, not 2024. According to the constitution, the presidential election must be held on time, so it definitely will be,” he said.

Main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Rohana Bandara speaking to reporters said the government has been resorting to various tactics to delay the election.

“The SJB will provide leadership to mobilising people against any attempt to postpone the presidential election,” he said.

Meanwhile, SJB legislator Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka, who has publicly criticised the party leadership, told reporters that a presidential election has not yet been declared. If someone is declaring their candidacy prematurely, he said, that betrays a fear and insecurity of someone else taking their place.

He added that Sri Lankans must move on from the culture of politicians giving things away during election cycles.

“Or they can accept the things being distributed and say ‘thanks for this, but we’re not going to vote for you just because you gave us something’,” he said.

A historic milestone in the Indo-Sri Lankan cultural and religious bond was marked yesterday (21) with the official launch of the ‘Sri Ramayan Trails’ project at Taj Samudra in Colombo, the President’s Media Division (PMD) reported.

This initiative aims to bolster the country’s tourism industry by leveraging cutting-edge technology and innovative tourism methodologies, it said.

Under the auspices of His Holiness Swami Govind Dev Giri Maharaj, the Chief Treasurer of the renowned Sri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, and graced by Mr. Sagala Ratnayaka, Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff, the launch event showcased a commitment to fostering deeper ties between the two nations, the PMD said.

The Sri Ramayan Trails seeks to highlight nine significant sites mentioned in the epic Ramayana, scattered across Sri Lanka. By offering a spiritual and cultural journey for Hindu pilgrims and travelers alike, the initiative aims to draw millions of Indian and international tourists to the country. Its overarching goal is to strengthen the nation’s spiritual and cultural heritage while also boosting its tourism sector.

In addition to offering access to these sacred sites, the project aims to provide visitors with an immersive experience by showcasing the ancient spiritual events associated with these revered shrines, brought to life through cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR).

Spanning from Adam’s Bridge in the Mannar Basin to Seetha Eliya in Nuwara Eliya, every location mentioned in the epic Ramayana has been carefully chosen for inclusion in this pilgrimage endeavour.

Notable figures such as former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, Indian High Commissioner HE Santosh Jha, former member of the European and British Parliament Niranjan Dev Adhitya, and other dignitaries graced the event with their presence.

SJB spokesperson Mujibur Rahman on Sunday (21) alleged that attempts were being made to hide the identities of persons whom two Easter Sunday suicide bombers–– ringleader Zahran Hashim and his accomplice Ilham Ahamed, who blasted themselves at the Shangri-La Colombo on the morning of April 21, 2019––had met in the same hotel the previous day.

Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office, the former Colombo District UNP MP said that the two suicide bombers had stayed at a room on the sixth floor, on the night of 20 April.

At the time of the suicide blasts, Rahman was a member of the ruling UNP-led Yahapalana administration (2015-2019).

Rahman, who previously represented the UNP in Parliament, said he had got to know that the hotel refrained from disclosing the identities of those who occupied the room before Hashim and Ahamed moved in on the night of April 20, 2019.

The SJB official said that they got to know about the hotel’s failure to reveal the names of the guests after having examined the proceedings of the ongoing High Court of Colombo case that dealt with the Easter Sunday carnage.

Ilham Ahamed’s brother Mohamed Ibrahim Inshaf Ahamed carried out the suicide blast in the Cinnamon Grand hotel. Responding to The Island queries, Rahman said that comparison of Hashim’s DNA samples with that of his wife and daughter, apprehended a week later, following a confrontation with the Army at Sainthamaruthu, proved beyond any doubt that the ringleader had been killed in the Shangri-La blast.

According to Rahman, a comprehensive list of those who had stayed at the Shangri-La Colombo, during the period of two weeks before the day of the blasts, had been submitted to the Colombo High Court, sans information pertaining to room number 616.

Spice merchant Mohamed Yusuf Ibrahim is the father of Ilham Ahamed and Mohamed Ibrahim Inshaf Ahamed. His daughter-in-law detonated herself, killing three police personnel during a raid on their luxurious Dematagoda residence.

Rahman told the media briefing at the Opposition Leader’s Office that the identities of those who had stayed in another room, also on the sixth floor of Shangri-La hadn’t been revealed to the Colombo High Court.

Emphasising the responsibility on the part of the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government to reveal the truth, the ex-lawmaker said that those who stayed at room numbered 623, too, seemed to have been involved with the Zahran Hashim’s group. Rahman later told The Island that the Shangri-La management had prepared a comprehensive list of all guests at the hotel at the time of the blasts leaving out those who had stayed at 616 and 623 on the night of April 20, 2019. “We believe that there were some foreigners in room 623 whereas Zahran Hashim’s accomplices in Room 616 were a mystery,” the ex-MP said.

Rahman said that the government or perhaps the Attorney General’s Department owed the public an explanation as to why two senior retired police officers, Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne and SSP Shani Abeysekera, who the spearheaded investigations into the Easter Sunday carnage, had not been listed as witnesses. Similarly, DIG Nalaka de Silva, who headed the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID), which had been tasked with inquiring into the clandestine activities of the National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ), during Yahapalana regime, in the run-up to the Easter Sunday blasts, had also been left out of the list of witnesses, Rahman said.

The former lawmaker recalled the circumstances under which the CID arrested de Silva over unsubstantiated allegations pertaining to an alleged conspiracy to assassinate the then President Maithripala Sirisena and wartime Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on Oct 25, 2018, the day before President Sirisena sacked the then Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe.

At the time of the Easter Sunday blasts, de Silva had been behind bars; he was granted bail in May 2019.

The former TID head now serves as DIG Puttalam.

The ex-MP urged the government to come out clean during a three-day parliamentary debate on the Easter Sunday attacks, scheduled to be held this week (Wednesday to Friday).

Ex-MP Rahman claimed that inquiries made by his party revealed that there was a certain category of people who could have booked hotel rooms without being registered. Among them were diplomats, their security contingents, Defence personnel and members of intelligence services. It would be the responsibility of the government to set the record straight. The ex-MP said that the government could correct him if he was wrong.

Rahman said that the desperate bid to hide the identities of those who met the suicide bombers at Shangri-La underscored their belief that there was an influential and very powerful hand behind the Easter Sunday attacks.

Rahman reiterated SJB and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s recent declaration that a through investigation would be conducted into the Easter Sunday carnage if the SJB won the upcoming presidential election.

From April 22-26 in Trincomalee, the United States Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and Sri Lanka Navy will partner for the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Sri Lanka 2024 exercise.

CARAT Sri Lanka will feature the expertise of the U.S. Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team (FAST), a U.S. Marine Corps unit specialized in security and anti-terrorism for naval assets, engaging alongside their Sri Lanka Navy Marine counterparts on a full spectrum of naval capabilities.

The CARAT Sri Lanka exercise includes a Women, Peace, and Security Symposium on April 24 to promote the vital roles women play in peace negotiations, conflict management, and resolution.

With approximately 70 U.S. personnel working with their Sri Lanka military partners, this fifth iteration of the CARAT Sri Lanka bilateral maritime exercise underscores the strong partnership and shared commitment of the United States and Sri Lanka to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.

U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung emphasized the significance of the exercise: “Since Sri Lanka began participating in CARAT in 2017, it has grown to become the most significant bilateral military engagement between the United States and Sri Lanka, reflecting our shared commitment to the peace and stability of the Indian Ocean Region. This exercise demonstrates the importance the United States places on nurturing partnerships, encouraging cooperation, and advancing maritime capabilities, enabling the U.S. and Sri Lankan navies to better operate together to address maritime security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.”

The Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera stated that: “Taking part in exercises of this nature enables the Sri Lanka Navy to gain confidence, experience and operational training by working alongside an experienced and well-equipped navy like the U.S. Navy. This can be particularly valuable in situations where the Sri Lanka Navy is required to engage with multiple array of navies for combined operations in the establishment of freedom of navigation and rules-based order in the ocean region, as well as responding to traditional and nontraditional threats in the maritime domain.”

Senior Defense Official at the U.S. Embassy Anthony Nelson praised the collaborative people-to-people spirit that the upcoming CARAT exercise exemplifies: “The aim of CARAT is to enhance the ability of our navies to defend our own nations and uphold the international standards that serve our mutual interests. But it’s not just about honing our naval capabilities; CARAT Sri Lanka 2024 stands as a powerful symbol of our partnership, building lasting friendships and mutual understanding by working shoulder to shoulder with our Sri Lankan counterparts.”

Initiated in 1995, CARAT is a series of bilateral and multilateral exercises between the United States and Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, this exercise series is designed to enhance the operational collaboration between the U.S. and partner navies’ abilities to operate together in response to traditional and non-traditional maritime security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region and build relationships through sports, cultural, and information exchanges.