The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has announced that island-wide power cuts will be implemented on Monday (10) and Tuesday (11).
According to the CEB, a one-and-a-half-hour power outage will take place between 3.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m., affecting the entire island.
The Acting Secretary-General of Parliament, Chaminda Kularatne stated that the Committee on Parliamentary Business has decided to convene a special Sitting of Parliament, on Friday (February 14), at 9.30 a.m.
This session is intended for the Speaker to inform Parliament of the Supreme Court’s determination on the petitions filed against the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill, the Parliamentary Communications Department said in a statement.
This was decided at the Committee on Parliamentary Business held today (10), Chaired by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Dr. Rizvie Salih, the statement added.
According to the provisions of Standing Order 16 of the Parliament, this call is made based on a request made by the Prime Minister to the Speaker. It was also decided that the relevant Ministerial Consultative Committee would meet on February 14 to consider the Bill.
Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Rathnayake, emphasized the necessity of holding the Local Authorities Elections without further delay, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directive to conduct the Local Authorities Election promptly, the statement highlighted.
As per the decision, the Second Reading debate on the Local Authorities Elections (Special Provisions) Bill will take place on Monday (February 17) from 2.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. The Acting Secretary-General further stated that the Opposition has agreed to submit proposed amendments related to the Bill by 10:00 a.m. on February 17.
Additionally, the Acting Secretary-General stated that, as previously scheduled, the Second Reading of the Appropriation Bill for the year 2025 (Budget Speech) will be presented by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, on Monday, February 17, at 10.30 a.m.
Hambantota International Port (HIP) marked a significant milestone in January 2025, by successfully integrating High Sulphur Fuel Oil (HSFO) into its range of bunkering services. Now offering a complete suite of marine fuels, including Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) and Marine Gas Oil (MGO/MDO). This development strengthens Sri Lanka’s position in the global maritime landscape, allowing HIP to cater to a broader range of vessels navigating one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
“We are pleased to announce the full operational launch of our HSFO bunkering facility, which marks a significant step in realising our vision of becoming a leading global maritime hub,” said Wilson Qu, CEO of Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG). “With our expanding range of services and growing reputation for operational excellence, HIP is positioning as a crucial player in the future of maritime trade and fuel supply. This expansion not only broadens the services we offer but also strengthens Sri Lanka’s position as a critical maritime player in the Indian Ocean region.”
The newly operational HSFO facility features a 6,000 cubic meter storage capacity, split across two dedicated tanks in the port’s oil tank farm, along with a specialised pumping system capable of transferring 400 metric tons per hour. A streamlined pipeline links the tanks directly to HIP’s oil jetties, ensuring fast, efficient fuel delivery. The facility has advanced monitoring and remote-control systems, guaranteeing precise, safe operations. It will provide significant convenience to ship owners with vessels using scrubbers, who opt for HFSO for its cost-effective, advanced scrubbing systems while meeting IMO 2020 sulfur cap regulations.
The port which now houses Sri Lanka’s first shore-based storage tank farm with a dedicated facility for HSFO bunkering, marked the achievement with the successful discharge of 5,000 metric tons of HSFO and 20,000 metric tons of VLSFO from the vessel Grand Ace 10, from the 30th January to 01st February. The operation unveiled HIP’s new HSFO bunkering infrastructure, setting the stage for increased fuel diversity in the region.
HIP’s strategic location along one of the busiest maritime routes in the world, provides vessels with a vital refueling stop as they traverse the shipping lanes between Europe and Asia. The addition of HSFO to HIP’s fuel offering allows the port to cater to a broader spectrum of vessels, from large tankers to smaller cargo ships, that require different grades of fuel for their operations.
The port’s collaboration with Sinopec, a global leader in energy, ensures the delivery of high-quality, reliable marine fuels. Furthermore, HIP’s operational excellence is certified by Lloyd’s Register (LR), a globally recognised authority in maritime classification. In 2022, HIP received its Fitness for Service (FSS) certification, validating its infrastructure and commitment to safety and compliance.
As the maritime industry continues to evolve, Hambantota International Port remains focused on innovation, infrastructure, and quality. This latest development highlights HIP’s commitment to meeting the ever-changing needs of the global shipping industry, enhancing its competitiveness, and contributing to the overall economic development of Sri Lanka.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka has raised concerns over a possible review by the Cabinet of Ministers over the Attorney General’s decision to release three suspects related to a high-profile killing of an editor in 2008.
Sri Lanka’s Attorney-General has released three key suspects in the long-running assassination case of high-profile editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, documents showed this week. The move has stunned people who have been seeking justice for a long time.
Attorney-General Parinda Ranasinghe (Jnr) has ordered the discharge of Premanand Udalagama, a former military intelligence officer, and Prasanna Nanayakkara, the then-DIG, who was remanded and bailed after evidence linking them to the murder and sabotaging the investigation.
“The BASL is firmly of the view that decisions of the Attorney General in criminal matters should not be reviewed by the political authorities including the Cabinet of Ministers as that would undermine the independence of the office of the Attorney General, which is crucial to uphold the rule of law,” the BASL said in a letter to President Anura Kumara Disanayake.
The BASL said whilst the AG is a public functionary and as such is accountable to the public for his decisions, the AG performs a quasi role in respect of criminal matters.
“As such, the Attorney General has to decide whether or not to charge a suspect based on the material available and submitted to him by the investigating authority,” the BASL said.
“In doing so, he will be required to consider whether such material is admissible in law and whether based on such material, there exists a reasonable prospect of a conviction.”
The sudden decision to discharge three suspects in one of Sri Lanka’s most emblematic cases comes despite President Disanayake having urged the Attorney General’s Department last month to restore public confidence in the judicial system.
“..we urge Your Excellency to ensure that there is no unwarranted interference with the exercise of the powers of the Attorney General and we trust Your Excellency will continue to protect the independence of key institutions including that the office of the Attorney General which is essential to protect the rule of law in our country,” the BASL wrote.
PRIME MINISTER RESPONDS
Prime Minister Harini Amarasuria in the parliament on Friday responding to a letter written to her by slain Wickrematunga’s daughter said the new government intends to seek justice for the murder of Wickrematunga.
She also assured that the government will do everything to ensure justice is delivered and follow the due process while ensuring the independence of the AG Department.
“But justice should be delivered. If necessary, we will refile the case. There are enough evidence,” the Prime Minister told the parliament.
In a letter to the CID, AG Ranasinghe in January ordered investigators to inform the Mount Lavinia Magistrate of his decision not to proceed against the three key suspects in the relevant case and to report back within two weeks.
A copy of the letter, which was also sent directly to the magistrate and two other recipients, was dated 27 January 2025 but has been widely shared on the social media platform X this week.
Udalagama, a former military intelligence officer, had been in remand custody over allegations of abducting Wickrematunge’s driver and threatening him with death unless he stopped implicating the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) in the killing.
Wickrematunge’s driver had alleged that his employer was killed by a DMI unit, as previously reported to the courts by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police.
Nanayakkara, then-DIG in charge of the area where Wickrematunga was murdered, was arrested in 2018 and remanded in custody for suppressing vital evidence in the murder case before being released on bail.
Shortly before he was killed, Wickrematunge, had noted down the registration numbers of motorcycles that were following him on the morning of 8 January 2009. The assassins arrived on motorcycles.
Police scene-of-crime officers recorded their observations, but had been ordered the removal of their notes from the official police records.
Wickrematunge’s notebook was handed over to DIG Nanayakkara, who then passed it on to the then-Inspector General of Police, Jayantha Wickramarathne, also a suspect in the cover-up.
Eventually, the notebook disappeared after the case was transferred to the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID).
Despite the police top brass making concerted efforts to conceal evidence, junior police officers had secretly made photocopies of Wickrematunge’s notebook, as well as their own observations recorded in the Grave Crime Information Book (GCIB).
These photocopies of the original police entries in the GCIB, along with a copy of Wickrematunge’s notebook, resurfaced at the CID almost nine years after the crime.
The National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa yesterday (09) renewed his call for a thorough investigation into US intervention in the 2022 so-called Aragalaya project that forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa out of office.
The former Cabinet Minister said the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led Jathika Jana Balawegaya couldn’t side-step the issue against the backdrop of new US administration’s decision to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID) over squandering of US taxpayers’ money on overseas projects.
The crux of the matter was whether the US through USAID and other agencies funded Aragalaya, the former parliamentarian said, pointing out the recent revelation of funding to the tune of USD 7.9 mn made available to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language” underscored the urgent need for a comprehensive investigation.
Responding to another query, the former JVPer said that though that funding had been categorized so, the actual purpose could be political as clandestine US interventions here were no secret.
The NFF backed Dilith Jayaweera’s candidature at the last presidential election held in Sept. 2024 but pulled out of that coalition ahead of the general election in Nov. of the same year.
Press Commissioner Niroshan Thambawita said that the Press Council couldn’t inquire into such a matter.
“We could intervene in case of violation of the media code of ethics or some aggravated party making a complaint regarding a news item published in a newspaper or a magazine. The Press Council does not have a mandate to inquire into funding made by a foreign agency to the media here,” Thambawita said. The official said so in response to The Island query.
Asked for the Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka (PCCSL) response, its Chief Executive Sukumar Rockwood said that he would initiate an inquiry if it received a complaint. Rockwood said that PCCSL couldn’t initiate an inquiry on its own.
Ex-minister Weerawansa emphasized that successive governments never bothered to take precautionary measures even after the State Department declared that the US funded regime change projects in Myanmar, Nigeria and Sri Lanka during 2014/2015. No less a person than Secretary of State John Kerry is on record as having said that they spent $585 mn in promoting democracy across the globe in 2015, including Sri Lanka, the former minister pointed out. Weerawansa emphasized that USAID was among those outfits that dispensed funds here.
The NFF leader said that perhaps the Editor’s Guild of Sri Lanka should inquire into this matter without delay. All political parties represented in the current Parliament should be seriously concerned as Parliament, too, was a recipient of US funding through USAID and other agencies, the outspoken politician said. Perhaps one of the most important aspects is the need to examine US funding meant for the judiciary, the former Minister said.
Pointing out that in ‘09: The Hidden Story’ he had comprehensively dealt with the US role in the project to oust Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the NFF chief said that those who had been critical of compensation paid to the then lawmakers for destruction of their property were silent on people responsible for the organized attacks.
Sena Thoradeniya, too, intensely examined Aragalaya in ‘Galle Face Protest: System Change or Anarchy? launched soon after Weerawansa’s work.
Weerawansa said that repeated interventions made by the US on behalf of the Aragalaya project weren’t secret. There was a need to examine external interventions as the country couldn’t afford to turn a blind eye to such manipulations, he said.
The Island asked SLPP National List MP and its national organizer Nasal Rajapaksa as to why he was silent on Parliament and Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), too receiving US funding. The former minister said that he would take up it if the newspaper could provide required information.
MP Rajapaksa recently called for US funded projects here. The SLPPer identified the recipients of USAID funding as NGOs, journalists and politicians.
Former UPFA parliamentarian and one-time head of the Peace Secretariat Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha said that examination of USAID funding would be a good idea, for we know that aid over the last quarter of a century has been aimed at fulfilment of political goals. Prof. Wijesinha explained: “But the fault lies in us for not having a proper system of accountability, and mechanisms to assess impact. I tried, when I headed the Peace Secretariat, along with the then Secretary to the Planning Ministry to set up a system, and then again when asked to help monitor activity, but after I failed to vote to impeach Shirani Bandaranayake in January 2013, the late Lakshman Hulugalle, who was in charge, avoided me and work did not proceed. I should add that such monitoring requires staff proficient in English, but they are hard to find at this level given the failure to move on good universal English Language Teaching.”
Prof. Wijesinha said that Sri Lanka in spite of being a major recipient of foreign funding was yet to establish an efficient mechanism to monitor funding. The Parliament should take the initiative in this regard, the academic said.
Former minister Weerawansa said that former Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena acknowledged external intervention in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ouster but the government didn’t inquire into it. Weerawansa noted that the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) declined to investigate it.
The US Embassy in Colombo directed The Island to contact ‘The Office of Press Operations’ of the State Department when we submitted the following questions: “[1] What is the status of current USAID projects, including Parliament and BASL [2] Is there a likelihood of cancellation of all USAID funded projects here?
The US embassy directed us to get in touch with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)- a federal law enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding our query on deportation of illegal Sri Lankan immigrants against the backdrop of repatriation of illegal Indians.
A group of monkeys who entered the Panadura Power Station had ended up in a spat, interfering with the power grids, causing an islandwide power outage, sources from the Power and Energy Ministry said.
However, further investigations are ongoing.
The Ministry said it apologized for the inconvenience caused to the public and said steps were being taken to restore power immediately.
The Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha met the Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) at the Defence Ministry yesterday.
The discussions focused on strengthening the longstanding defence cooperation between India and Sri Lanka, underscoring the deep-rooted bilateral ties between the two nations.
They exchanged views on regional security and maritime cooperation aimed at enhancing defence collaboration.
The Indian High Commissioner emphasized India’s unwavering support for Sri Lanka in defence and security matters, particularly in counter-terrorism, maritime security and disaster response.
Defence Secretary expressed appreciation for India’s continued assistance and acknowledged the significant role of defence partnerships in ensuring stability and security in the region.
India’s largest low-cost carrier (LCC), IndiGo Airlines (6E), has unveiled plans to launch new Jaffna flights. The airline plans to strengthen its presence in Sri Lanka with non-stop flights from Bengaluru (BLR).
Unlike its usual focus on Colombo, this move marks a strategic shift towards expanding operations at Sri Lanka’s secondary airport. This expansion will enhance air connectivity between South India and Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. The non-stop flights will offer passengers a more convenient and time-saving travel option.
IndiGo representativesrecently held discussions with Northern Province Governor – Nandalalingam Vethanayagam. The discussions were held focusing on the increasing passenger demand for direct flights between Bengaluru and Jaffna.
Currently, there are flights to Jaffna only from Chennai. A large number of people travel between the two cities.Thisincludes over 25,000 annual pilgrims and others travelling for business, and leisure purposes. All of these frequently fly between these two regions.
However, due to the lack of direct connectivity, many travelers have to transit through Chennai or Colombo, leading to longer travel times and additional costs. IndiGo’s direct Bengaluru-Jaffna service will resolve these challenges. Non-stop flights provide a seamless, time-efficient travel experience.
Additionally, the proposed route would cater to both the Tamil diaspora living in South India and Sri Lankan travelers. This will further boost regional connectivity.
IndiGo has significant presence in Sri Lanka. The airline is the largest foreign carrier operating in the country. IndiGo currently operates 54 weekly flights between India and Sri Lanka. The airline connects Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai to Colombo. Chennai is the only city to have connections to two Srilankan cities as IndiGo flies to even Jaffna.
IndiGo’s entry into the Chennai-Jaffna sector in September 2024 made it only the second Indian carrier to operate on this route. The airline seems to have succeeded in this service. This success would have encouraged the airline to expand further by launching non-stop flights from Bengaluru.
With Bengaluru serving as IndiGo’s largest hub in South India, the new flight will not only serve direct passengers but also provide one-stop connections from other major cities such as Hyderabad, Pune, and Delhi, making travel to Jaffna even more accessible.
The government has decided to establish a new Immigration and Emigration Office in the Jaffna District, says Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala.
Participating in an event held today (08), he said that the new Immigration and Emigration Office to be established in the Jaffna District will also be open 24 hours a day.
Meanwhile, the Minister said that the Cabinet has also approved the recruitment of employees for the new Immigration and Emigration Office to be established in the Jaffna District.
“Last week, the Cabinet took a decision based on the report submitted by the expert committee. It has been decided to increase the number of passports, as well as to increase the number of passports issued daily, and to increase the numbers provided by the regional offices,” the minister said.
“It has also been decided to open a new Immigration and Emigration Office in Jaffna. So, the Cabinet has taken a decision to recruit the necessary staff to implement that decision,” Wijepala said, adding that the relevant Cabinet decision has already been sent to the Public Service Commission for approval.
“The Public Service Commission will take that decision within two to three days. After taking that decision, it has been decided to make this office a 24-hour office,” he said.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has told Parinda Ranasinghe to fulfil his responsibilities as the attorney general with responsibility, according to media reports.
Ranasinghe was summoned to the Presidential Secretariat around 1.45 pm yesterday (07) to get an explanation about his decision not to pursue legal proceedings against three suspects in the murder of prominent journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga.
Justice minister Harshana Nanayakkara too, was present and the three had talks for nearly two hours.
Certain media quoted the president as telling the AG that it was meaningless to hold the position if he cannot act responsibly.
The AG has written to the CID that three suspects accused of concealing evidence and intimidating witnesses in the Wickramatunga murder case could be acquitted.
