Category: Featured Headlines

The Navy has been providing assistance to devotees who are taking part in Pada Yathra, the age-old annual pilgrimage on foot from Jaffna to Katragama.

The Navy has been taking care of the needs of the pilgrims walking from the entrance of Kumana National Park to Kumbukkan Oya.

On a directive of the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, and under the supervision of the Commander Southeastern Naval Area, the Navy will continue to help pilgrims until the end of ‘Pada Yathra’ on 27 June.

Retired Navy Commander and Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, former Commander Southeastern Naval Area Rear Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, and newly appointed Area Commander Rear Admiral Nalin Navarathne also joined this year’s ‘Paada Yaathra’.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has met the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, during his visit to the United Kingdom.

The President’s Media Division said President Wickremesinghe shared his strategies for addressing climate change and explored the potential involvement of the Commonwealth in these efforts.

The Head of State has also discussed the digitisation programs within the Commonwealth during his meeting with the Secretary General.

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has decided to oppose the agreement between the government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The decision has been unanimously taken taken during a meeting of SJB Parliamentary group.

During the meeting, it has been discussed at length that the government has been compelled to agree to all conditions of the agreement. Noting that entering the pact with the IMF should be done in a transparent manner, the MPs have pointed out that this not the case at the present.

Therefore, SJB MPs have unanimously decided to oppose the government’s pact with the IMF agreement, based on several facts including the pact featuring unfavourable conditions for the country and that details of the pact has not been made public.

(Source : Lankadeepa)

British Tamils gathered at One George Street in central London to protest the Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to London this week.

The protesters chanted “Ranil, Ranil – go home” after he arrived in London over the weekend to attend the 40th anniversary of the International Democratic Union before heading to Paris.

In Paris, Wickremesinghe is reportedly scheduled to meet the creditor countries of the Paris Club to discuss Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring process.

India is in talks with Sri Lanka to accelerate the implementation of a smart classroom project in the Galle District, the Indian High Commission in Colombo says.

Education Secretary M.N Ranasinghe and Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay exchanged diplomatic notes on Monday (June 19) to discuss the expedition of the implementation of ‘Establishment of Modern Computer Labs and Smart Boards with Customized Curriculum Software in 200 Schools in Galle District’.

Minister of Industries and Plantation Industries Dr. Ramesh Pathirana was also in attendance. Deputy Indian High Commissioner, Vinod K. Jacob and officials from the High Commission of India and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Education also participated.

The exchange of notes is expected to further streamline and expedite the implementation of the Project, by aligning the procurement processes in accordance with the framework prescribed by Government of Sri Lanka.

The project, implemented through Government of India grant assistance, aims to improve digital literacy amongst students attending schools in the lesser privileged areas.

This is one among several grant projects undertaken by Government of India in the education sphere in Sri Lanka.

India’s overall development assistance to Sri Lanka currently stands at around USD 5 billion with nearly USD 600 million being in grants. Close to 65 grant projects have already been carried out across the 25 districts in the country and over 20 grant projects are at various stages of implementation.

Daily Mirror reliably learns that Rohitha Bogollagama was handpicked as SL’s HC in the UK by the government to reach out to Tamil diaspora for reconciliation

– Bogollagama’s only foreign experience is that he served as the Foreign Minister under Mahinda Rajapaksa during the time of the civil war

– Once political appointees are posted in diplomatic missions, their children and relatives soon follow to serve as officers

– For Moscow in Russia which is a key posting, Sri Lanka has not appointed a career diplomat for two decades now

In recent years, Sri Lanka’s foreign service has made questionable and disappointing appointments especially to some of the key countries, resulting in an entire collapse of the foreign service system.

Infact, more and more political appointments are now dominating Sri Lanka’s foreign service while career diplomats and real talent are ignored while individuals with no knowledge on foreign service are appointed as Ambassadors and High Commissioners to key countries.

Their only talent is that they are favorites of the government leaders or ruling politicians. If that is not enough, some of these political appointees do not travel alone. Once they are set in their seats as Ambassadors and High Commissioners, their children and relatives soon follow to the foreign destinations to serve as officers to Sri Lanka’s foreign missions, with no benefit to Sri Lanka other than a blow to the taxpayers.A recent such appointment is that of Rohitha Bogollagama who has been appointed as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the UK, replacing well known career diplomat Saroja Sirisena.

Bogollagama’s only foreign experience is that he served as the Foreign Minister under Mahinda Rajapaksa during the time of the civil war. After this Bogollagama served as the Governor of the Eastern Province under Maithripala Sirisena’s regime.With no notable achievements even when he was the Foreign Minister, Bogollagama is well known for his lavish official visits overseas when he was the Minister, as reported in some media publications back then.The Sunday Times, in a report in 2008, citing one of his visits overseas said Bogollagama’s official trip to Brazil back then had cost the state an estimated Rs. 5 million, and included a vacation in beach resorts in Rio de Janeiro. Bogollagama was then due in New York to join the Sri Lanka presidential delegation in time for the UN General Assembly sessions and was booked to stay at New York’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The Sunday Times quoting reliable sources said the minister’s public relations officer and private security officer, who had been officially designated separate rooms, were scheduled to share a room, and the spare room was made available to Bogollagama’s daughter and her husband, who worked for the Sri Lanka embassy in Washington. Neither the minister’s daughter nor her husband were a member of the official Sri Lanka delegation.

“According to Foreign Ministry sources, the minister has made arrangements with the hotel to ensure that his daughter and son-in-law’s names will not appear in the hotel manifest. It is understood that similar arrangements had been made for the minister’s daughter when she visited other world capitals,” the Sunday Times reported back in 2008. This is just one instance when Bogollagama faced such allegations of lavish spending while on official visits overseas. Now with such allegations how did Bogollagama get selected to be Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in the UK that too at a time when the country is struggling amidst an economic crisis?

The Daily Mirror reliably learns that Bogollagama was handpicked to the seat by the government in place of Saroja Sirisena who is expected to complete her stint and return to the country shortly.

The source said the government had selected Bogollagama as someone competent to engage with the Tamil Diaspora as the UK is a country with a sizable population of Sri Lankan Tamils and leads the core group of countries that moved the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka.However no further explanation was given on the government’s selection of Bogollagama.

Bogollagama will be the latest to join the list of political appointees serving in Sri Lanka’s foreign missions. Presently political appointees serve in important capitals including in New Delhi and Washington. For Moscow in Russia which is a key posting, Sri Lanka has not appointed a career diplomat for two decades now.