Category: Breaking News

The elections for the Poonakari, Mannar, and Dehiattakandiya local government institutions will be held together with the 2025 Local Government (LG) Polls, the Election Commission announced.

Accordingly, the elections for the abovementioned local government bodies will be held on May 06, 2025, the commission said today (27).

The acceptance of nominations for the Poonakari, Mannar, and Dehiattakandiya LG institutions were held separately from the other LG institutions across the island, and the process ended at 12:00 noon today.

The nomination process for these Local Government bodies had been delayed due to court proceedings, however, the petitions which had been filed over these LG bodies were later withdrawn by the petitioning parties.

Singaporean incorporated digital payments solution platform, Alipay+, is open to work with Sri Lankan tourism authorities to boost tourism to the island by targeting the South East Asian region and tourism source markets, Alipay+ Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand General Manager Edward Yue told The Daily Morning Business.

“We always take an open collaborative approach and work with local partners to support the travel ecosystem. In our past and ongoing efforts working with local regulators and tourism boards, we have seen very positive results,” Yue said, speaking at the launch of Alipay+ in Sri Lanka, in partnership with Lankapay on Tuesday (25).

The partnership’s aim is to elevate inbound and outbound travel experiences within the island, as users are enabled to make payments at over 400,000 LankaQR merchants within Sri Lanka.

The partnership is to also enable Sri Lankans who use the LankaQR-enabled apps to pay at Alipay+ merchants when traveling overseas.

In 2024, the cross-border mobile payment and digitalisation technology solutions platform collaborated with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to create a customisable in-app programme that features essential travel and cultural information, local merchant recommendations and city guides for Thai destinations.

“We started with offering seamless payments, and going beyond with in-app marketing and new travel innovations, which is creating new forms of engagement between tourism boards, merchants and travellers.”

The collaboration was opportune to strengthen Thailand’s digital offerings catered to Chinese tourists, its biggest tourism source market. For Sri Lanka, Chinese tourists consistently rank among the top five main source markets for tourism.

Chinese tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka doubled during the Chinese Lunar New Year period this year, with 19,809 arrivals, statistics from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) shows.

Sri Lanka as a destination has been platformed on Ctrip, China’s largest online travel agency, to offer customised tour packages.

Yue noted that tourism has become a significant driver of the global economy, and especially in destinations like Sri Lanka, that will benefit from new traveller preferences for more unique, localised, sustainable holidays.

“But for local businesses to benefit from this growth, they need to adapt to new traveller habits. Since the pandemic, mobile wallets have become the preferred choice of payment method, particularly for consumers from Asia,” he said.

“By connecting 14 international payment partners to Sri Lanka, we build on the national LankaQR infrastructure by LankaPay to enhance the travel experience for these users. Now, they can visit local shops, food stores, attractions and much more, and pay just like they would at home,” he explained.

“In doing so, we can provide growth opportunities for local merchants, who may miss out if they don’t offer solutions that travellers are used to.”

A recent survey conducted by the Family Health Bureau of the Ministry of Health has revealed that 18% of school children in Sri Lanka are suffering from various mental health issues.

The survey, which covered over 2,500 students aged 13 to 17 across the country, was conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

The survey, carried out between September and October 2024, involved 78 questions across 10 health-related topics.

The findings highlighted several concerning trends among school children, including feelings of isolation, sleep disturbances, and increased anxiety and depression.

Dr. Chiranthika Withana, National Program Manager for Adolescent Health at the Family Health Bureau, noted that 22% of students reported feeling isolated in the past 12 months, while 12% experienced sleep disturbances due to various issues.

Additionally, 18% of students were found to be suffering from depression and anxiety.

Alarmingly, the rates of suicidal thoughts, planning, and attempts have increased compared to 2016, with 4.4% of students contemplating suicide, 9.6% planning it, and 9.1% attempting it.

The survey also revealed that 63% of students suffer from sleep deprivation due to excessive internet use.

Cyberbullying was reported by 5.4% of students, and 63% indicated that they do not get enough sleep, which is crucial for their health.

Dr. Withana highlighted various forms of harassment faced by students, including physical attacks (23.8%), sexual harassment (6.1%), dating violence (10.1%), and cyber sexual harassment (6.9%). Physical fights were reported by 34.5% of students, and despite legal prohibitions, 47.9% of students reported experiencing physical punishment in schools.

To address these issues, Dr. Withana emphasized the importance of creating a healthy environment for children, including promoting healthy eating habits, increasing physical activity, and implementing effective school health programs.

Ex- President Mahinda Rajakaksa says the Tamil Tigers killed 27,965 Sri Lanka soldiers and police as well as thousands of civilians and expects the current administration to defend military commanders.

The statement came after The United Kingdom announced sanctions including travel against Sri Lanka’s former Chief of Defence Staff Shavendra Silva, former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda and former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya and well as a Tiger leader.

“It was I, as the Executive President of Sri Lanka who took the decision to militarily defeat the LTTE and the armed forces implemented that decision on the ground,” President Rajapaksa said in a statement.

“Three decades of LTTE terrorism claimed the lives of 27,965 armed forces and police personnel not to mention the lives of many thousands of civilians including politicians.

“What Sri Lanka defeated in 2009 was the organization that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation had officially designated as the deadliest terrorist organization in the world.

“It is noteworthy that the United Kingdom introduced special legislation in 2021 and 2023 to protect their own armed forces from persecution by interested parties.

“Hence I expect the present government to resolutely stand by and defend former armed forces personnel who face persecution by foreign governments and organisations for doing their duty to safeguard Sri Lanka’s national security.”

The full statement is reproduced below :

UK Sanctions against Sri Lankan armed forces Commanders

The United Kingdom govt. has announced sanctions including travel bans and asset freezes against Sri Lanka’s former Chief of Defence Staff Shavendra Silva, former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda and former Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya over unproven allegations of human rights violations during the war with the LTTE. It was I, as the Executive President of Sri Lanka who took the decision to militarily defeat the LTTE and the armed forces implemented that decision on the ground.

Despite the 2002 ceasefire agreement, the LTTE had carried out 363 killings during the ceasefire between February 2002 and the end of September 2005. LTTE attacks intensified in the first few weeks and months after I was elected President in November 2005. Among the most serious such incidents were claymore mine attacks on 4 and 6 December 2005 in Jaffna that killed thirteen soldiers, a suicide attack on a naval craft on 5 January 2006 that killed 15 naval personnel, and the suicide attack on the Army Commander inside Army Headquarters in April 2006.

Despite all that, my government held two rounds of peace talks in January and June 2006 in Geneva and Oslo which were unilaterally halted by the LTTE. The LTTE landmine attack on a civilian bus in Kebithogollawa in June 2006 which killed 64 and seriously injured 86, many of them children – was a pivotal moment for me and my govt. Military operations commenced in July 2006 when the LTTE closed the Mawilaru anicut cutting off irrigation water to cultivators in the Trincomalee district and did not stop until the LTTE was completely defeated on 19 May 2009.

I categorically reject the UK govt.’s allegation of widespread human rights violations during the military operations. Lord Naseby stated in the House of Lords on 12 October 2017 that the then UK Defence Attache in Colombo Lieutenant Colonel Anton Gash had in conversation with him, praised the discipline of the Sri Lanka army and stated that there certainly was no policy to kill civilians.

Because Lt. Col Anton Gash’s war time dispatches to London differ so significantly from the narrative promoted by the UK political authorities, only a heavily redacted version of those dispatches have been released. We conducted military operations only against the LTTE and not against the Tamil people.

Just months after the war ended, when my wartime army commander came forward as the opposition candidate at the 2010 presidential elections, the Tamil National Alliance issued a statement on 6 January 2010 appealing to the Tamil people to vote for the former army commander and he won over 60% of the votes cast in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, thus directly contradicting the narrative being promoted by the UK govt.

Imposing sanctions on Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan a.k.a Karuna Amman who broke away from the LTTE in 2004 and later entered democratic politics is a clear case of penalizing anti-LTTE Tamils so as to placate the dominant segment of the Tamil diaspora in the UK.

When the UK foreign secretary David Milliband came to Sri Lanka in April 2009 and demanded a halt to military operations, I flatly turned him down. Later, a London based newspaper The Telegraph revealed – quoting secret documents made public by Wikileaks – that Mr. Miliband had tried to intervene in Sri Lanka to win Tamil votes for the Labour Party. Regrettably, to this day vote bank politics determines the UK’s stand on Sri Lanka’s war against the LTTE.

Three decades of LTTE terrorism claimed the lives of 27,965 armed forces and police personnel not to mention the lives of many thousands of civilians including politicians. What Sri Lanka defeated in 2009 was the organization that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation had officially designated as the deadliest terrorist organization in the world. It is noteworthy that the United Kingdom introduced special legislation in 2021 and 2023 to protect their own armed forces from persecution by interested parties.

Hence I expect the present government to resolutely stand by and defend former armed forces personnel who face persecution by foreign governments and organisations for doing their duty to safeguard Sri Lanka’s national security.

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism has issued a statement in response to the decision of the government of the United Kingdom (UK) to impose sanction against three former military commanders and a former minister.

The ministry said it takes note of the Press Release dated 24th March 2025, issued by the UK, Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) entitled “UK Sanctions for Human Rights Violations and Abuses during the Sri Lankan Civil War”.

As stated in the press release, the UK government has imposed sanctions on four individuals, three of whom are former military commanders of the Sri Lankan armed forces.

Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry said it is also noted that the UK FCDO Press Release refers to “a commitment made during the election campaign to ensure those responsible are not allowed impunity”.

In this regard, the Ministry said it wishes to underline that this is a “unilateral action” taken by the UK government which involves an asset freeze and travel ban on the individuals concerned.

“Such unilateral actions by countries do not assist but serve to complicate the national reconciliation process underway in Sri Lanka,” the ministry said in the statement.

It further said that the government is in the process of strengthening domestic mechanisms on accountability and reconciliation and that any past human rights violations should be dealt with through domestic accountability mechanisms.

The statement further said that the position of the Government of Sri Lanka was conveyed by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath to the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick, today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism.