Author: TELO Admin

Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne today announced in Parliament the appointment of a select committee under the chairmanship of Minister Vijitha Herath to look into the holding of the Provincial Councils elections.

MPs Muneer Mulaffer, Sunil Watagala, Arun Hemachandra, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Mano Ganesan, Lakshman Nipunarachchi, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, Samanmalee Gunasinghe, Dharamapriya Liyanage, Chandana Sooriarachchi and Nizam Kariyappar are the other members of the committee.

The committee will be responsible for determining which system the election should be held under and on proposed amendments to the Provincial Councils Amendment Bill.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi yesterday (18), on the sidelines of the ‘AI Impact Summit 2026’.

President Dissanayake is in New Delhi to attend the summit, which brings together global leaders to discuss developments in artificial intelligence and its broader social and economic implications.

He is scheduled to deliver an address at the ‘AI Impact Summit 2026’ today.

The President arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday (17) to participate in the summit at the special invitation of Prime Minister Modi

Dropping another bombshell, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka revealed yesterday that Rajapaksas had negotiated with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Amnesty International to allow LTTE leaders including Velupillai Prabhakaran to surrender whereas the army wanted to wipe them out, and claimed that if they were to surrender, Prabhakaran would have been the Chief Minister of the North now.

Fonseka told a news conference that Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa had held a discussion with ICRC chief and Amnesty International representative on the morning of May 17, 2009 to give an opportunity for LTTE leaders to surrender.

He said this while leaking a video of a telephone conversation which he claimed to have taken place between the then defense secretary and Shavendra Silva in the evening of May 17, 2009 about allowing the LTTE leaders to surrender.

Explaining the telephone conversation, Fonseka said the Rajapaksas had discussed with the ICRC and Amnesty International to allow LTTE leaders to surrender and added that however, the LTTE had refused to surrender to the army but had wanted to surrender to a third party.

He said according to the telephone conversation, Rajapaksa’s had objected to the LTTE surrendering to a third party and had wanted them to surrender to the army. However, he said the plan had failed as the LTTE had refused to surrender to the army and added that if LTTE leaders had agreed to surrender to the army, LTTE leaders including Prabhakaran would still be living and he would be the Chief Minister of the North.

Fonseka said he was in China on that particular day and that he was not informed of the said discussions with the ICRC and Amnesty International and added that the army was planning to wipe out the LTTE.

He said when the discussion took place on May 17, 2009, the LTTE leaders had been confined to an area of 400 meters and added that LTTE knew that they would be dead within the next few hours.

Fonseka said the army did not want to save LTTE leaders but had planned to wipe them out.

He said army was able to wipe out the LTTE on May 19, 2009 as the LTTE refused to agree to the Rajapaksa’s request to surrender to the army.

Fonseka said the journalist who had video recorded the telephone conversation hae fled the country in fear of being killed and added that he got hold of the video very recently through a third party.

Admiral Steve “Web” Koehler, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka from February 19 to February 21, 2026.

During his visit, Admiral Koehler will engage with Sri Lankan government officials and military counterparts to discuss shared values of advancing cooperation in maritime security, regional stability, and to enhance collaboration and interoperability, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo said.

The U.S. Pacific Fleet, the largest naval fleet command in the world, operates across half the globe, protecting vital sea lanes and connecting partners throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Accordingly, Admiral Koehler’s second visit to Sri Lanka highlights the strategic importance the United States places on Sri Lanka’s role at the crossroads of global maritime routes and underscores our shared long-term commitment to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

Admiral Koehler’s visit reaffirms the strong U.S.-Sri Lanka security partnership and our confidence in the professionalism and capability of our partners.

The embassy further noted, “As we stand with Sri Lanka in facing shared security challenges, from maritime domain awareness to countering transnational threats—our support is focused on building transparent, long-term, mutually beneficial security partnerships that protect sovereignty and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Steve Koehler is a U.S. Navy admiral and a naval aviator since 1989 with over 3,900 flight hours and 600 carrier landings, he has commanded fighter squadrons, USS Bataan, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Carrier Strike Group Nine, participating in major military operations and humanitarian missions. Ashore, he has held senior leadership roles including director of Fleet Training, operations director at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet, and director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy on the Joint Staff, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo added.

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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has met US President Donald Trump’s Special Representative for South and Central Asia and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in Delhi this morning (18).

President Dissanayake is in New Delhi to attend the ‘AI Impact Summit 2026’, at the special invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the meeting, two factions discussed ways to expand U.S.-Sri Lanka economic cooperation, deepening commercial ties, and working together to advance stability across the region.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who departed Sri Lanka to attend the AI Impact Summit 2026 landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, last afternoon (17).

President Dissanayake was warmly received at the airport by Minister of State Shri Raj Bhushan Choudhary and other officials, the President’s Media Division said.

Senior Adviser to the President on the Digital Economy Hans Wijayasuriya and Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy Waruna Sri Dhanapala are accompanying the President to the summit.

The AI Impact Summit 2026, to be held in New Delhi, focuses on the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence for the benefit of humanity. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to address the summit on February 19, the PMD stated.

The five-day AI Impact Summit 2026 is expected to bring together Heads of State from 20 countries and representatives from more than 45 nations.

The summit will also feature extensive discussions on the future trajectory of artificial intelligence technologies and their potential application in addressing global challenges.

During the visit to India, the President is also expected to hold bilateral discussions with several world leaders.

British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy arrived in Sri Lanka this morning for a brief but intensive official visit focused on diplomatic ties and global social issues.

Lammy is expected to hold high-level talks with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Prime Minister, and the Foreign Minister to discuss bilateral cooperation.

Thereafter, a significant portion of Lammy’s visit will be dedicated to attending the Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform, hosted at the UN office in Colombo.

Following the summit, he is slated to meet with Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savithri Paulraj, to discuss shared priorities in welfare and protection.

After a final brief visit to the British High Commission in Colombo, the Deputy Prime Minister is expected to conclude his visit and depart the island this evening.