Category: News

Jaffna’s tallest residential building project gets BOI nod

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Jaffna is set to get its tallest residential building with Tilko Blue Ocean Holdings Ltd., signing an agreement with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI) for the development of the 78-unit Yarl Royal Palace.

The BOI said the project, located at No. 107, Kandy Road overlooking the historic Old Park, is envisioned to become the tallest residential landmark in Northern Sri Lanka and establish a new benchmark for high-rise residential development in the region.

The development will comprise six levels of car parking, 13 residential floors and 78 residences. The BOI statement did not disclose the investment value, construction timeline or expected completion date.

The BOI described Yarl Royal Palace as a private-sector investment in Jaffna and the wider Northern Province, with economic activity expected across construction, engineering, professional consultancy, building materials, logistics, financial services and property management.

It said the project also seeks to tap Jaffna’s links with the global Tamil diaspora, including communities in the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Switzerland and Germany, providing overseas families, professionals and investors an opportunity to participate in the city’s property market.

According to the BOI, Jaffna’s entrepreneurial community, professional and educational base, improving infrastructure, urban land and links with the diaspora provide a foundation for further private investment.

The BOI said the emergence of a development of this scale in Jaffna also signals potential for large-scale private investment beyond Sri Lanka’s traditional real estate markets.

Tilko Blue Ocean Holdings said the project reflected its long-term confidence in the economic potential of Northern Sri Lanka and its commitment to further investment in the region.

Sajith Meets Tamil and Muslim MPs In Parliament

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa today (19) held a special meeting with Tamil and Muslim Members of Parliament representing the opposition at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Parliament.

The discussion focused extensively on a range of issues affecting people living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

According to a statement issued by the Opposition Leader’s Media Unit, MPs briefed Premadasa on a number of social, economic, developmental and other regional challenges that continue to impact the daily lives of residents in those areas.

The meeting also explored ways of raising these concerns more extensively in Parliament and the political and legislative interventions required to address the issues faced by communities in the North and East.

Several opposition lawmakers attended the discussion, including Rauff Hakeem, Mano Ganesan, Selvam Adaikalanathan, Rasamanickam Shanakiyan, Thurairasa Ravikaran, Dr. Ramanathan Archchuna and Kader Mastan.

Man Arrested Over Unverified Claim of LTTE Training Camp

Posted on | by TELO Admin

A 46-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly spreading unverified information on social media claiming that an LTTE training camp was operating in the Palai forest reserve in the Akkarayankulam Police area.

Police said the suspect had published a video on social media in the form of a media briefing, during which he allegedly disseminated the unverified information.

He was arrested yesterday (18) by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID).

The suspect is a resident of Bellanwila, Boralesgamuwa.

He is due to be produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today (19).

Posted in Uncategorized

22A draft bill to parliament today

Posted on | by TELO Admin

The 22nd Constitutional Amendment Draft Bill and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill are set to be presented before Parliament today (18), with the Opposition already preparing to contest both pieces of legislation at their first reading.

Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara is expected to table the Bills at the commencement of the main business of Parliament.

What the bills propose

The 22nd Amendment, if passed, would raise the retirement age of Supreme Court judges from 65 to 67, while extending the retirement age of Court of Appeal judges from 63 to 65.

The Judicial Organisation (Amendment) Bill, would raise the retirement age of judges serving in the High Courts, District Courts and Magistrates’ Courts to 62, should it be enacted.

Legal process and timeline

Under standard parliamentary procedure, a Bill must be presented for its first reading one week after its Gazette notification is issued, after which a further one-week window opens for it to be challenged before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, in turn, is required to communicate its determination to the Speaker of Parliament within a period of between three and 21 days of considering any petitions filed against the legislation.

Opposition to challenge

The Opposition, led by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), has resolved to object to both Bills when they are presented for their first reading today, a decision reportedly reached during an Opposition parliamentary group meeting held yesterday (17) evening.

Plans have also been proposed to file petitions challenging the two Bills before the Supreme Court, with a request that a full bench comprising all thirteen Supreme Court judges be appointed to hear the matter.

Posted in Uncategorized

Japan grants Rs. 591 million to continue Sri Lanka scholarship programme

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Japan has granted Sri Lanka JPY 282 million (approximately Rs. 591 million) to continue funding a scholarship programme that sends promising public sector officials to pursue postgraduate studies in Japan.Shopping For Authentic South Asian Apparel

The grant agreement, formalised on 17 August in Colombo, was signed and exchanged between Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Akio Isomata and Secretary to the Treasury and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, in support of the Human Resource Development Scholarship Programme (JDS).

Under the latest phase of the initiative, 15 Sri Lankan public sector officials will be selected to undertake two-year Master’s degree programmes at leading Japanese universities, commencing in 2027.

The scholarships are intended to sharpen expertise across fields considered critical to the country’s development trajectory, including Public Policy, International Relations, International Development, Macroeconomics, Public Finance and Investment Management, and Industry Development Policy and Investment Promotion.

The programme itself is built around the objective of cultivating the next generation of leadership within Sri Lanka’s public sector by offering officials access to advanced academic and professional training that would otherwise be difficult to obtain domestically.

The JDS programme has operated in Sri Lanka since 2010, and in that time a total of 254 public sector officials have passed through the initiative, gaining postgraduate qualifications and leadership experience through their studies in Japan.

Posted in Uncategorized

Indian Defence Minister to undertake official visit to Sri Lanka

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to undertake an official visit to Sri Lanka.

The visit is expected to take place during the first week of September, according to Indian media reports.

A discussion regarding Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Sri Lanka was also recently held between the High Commission of India in Colombo, and the Ministry of Defence.

During the visit, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to hold bilateral discussions with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and other senior government officials.

The visit is expected to focus on joint operations between the two countries, training programmes, and regional security issues.

Rajnath Singh was also scheduled to visit Sri Lanka in September 2023, but the visit was subsequently cancelled.

Posted in Uncategorized

Pillayan further remanded over Eastern Province murder cases

Posted on | by TELO Admin

Former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillayan, has been further remanded until September 1 over a series of murder cases involving the shooting deaths of five people in several areas of the Eastern Province, police said.

Pillayan was arrested in connection with the alleged killings, in which the victims were reportedly shot using T-56 assault rifles.

He was produced before court today and ordered to be further remanded until September 1

Posted in Uncategorized

Defence evidence to begin today in Easter Sunday attack case

Posted on | by TELO Admin

The High Court trial-at-bar hearing the Easter Sunday terror attack case has ordered the defence to begin presenting evidence from today (17), following the conclusion of the prosecution’s case against all 24 accused.

The three judge bench, comprising Judge Nawaratne Marasinghe (President) along with Judges Sujeewa Nissanka and Ramanathan Kannan, determined that sufficient grounds existed to call evidence from every accused in the case.

Before ordering the defence to proceed, the bench explained the rights entitled to each of the accused and directed them to state their individual positions.

Of the 24 accused, the sixth, Mohamed Rizwan, informed the court that he would not be giving evidence and intended to remain silent.

The remaining accused indicated they would either give evidence from the dock, make a statement from the dock, or present external evidence in their defence.

The prosecution’s case, built over 547 days of evidence presented across a five year period, drew on testimony from approximately 1,500 witnesses in relation to 23,270 indictments filed against the 24 accused.

Prosecutors also tendered 2,076 court exhibits, including documents, bomb making material and other evidence gathered through witness testimony.

Ten confessions made by the accused before a magistrate and under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) were presented during the trial, though the court ruled the confession given by accused Mohamed Firdauz inadmissible after determining it had not been made voluntarily.

The remaining confessions were found to have been given voluntarily and were permitted to be presented as evidence.

The accused stand charged in connection with the attacks carried out by Zahran Hashim and his terrorist cell, which killed around 268 people and injured over 500 others when churches and tourist hotels were targeted on Easter Sunday in 2019.

India’s envoy holds talks with Bahujana Balaya

Posted on | by TELO Admin

The High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, accompanied by Dr. Rambabu C., Counsellor (Political) & Head of Chancery, met with representatives of Bahujana Balaya recently in a discussion that lasted more than three hours, underscoring the importance both sides placed on open and meaningful dialogue.

According to the Bahujana Balaya, far from being a ceremonial courtesy call, the meeting reflected India’s continued engagement with a broad spectrum of political and social stakeholders in Sri Lanka, including emerging nationalist movements. The talks provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives on issues of mutual importance.

Issuing a statement, the Bahujana Balaya said the conversation covered Sri Lanka–India relations and trade cooperation, regional security and the 13th Amendment, community relations between the North and South, and India’s system of governance, democratic institutions, and guiding principles of diplomacy.

The Bahujana Balaya stressed that the meeting was not used to criticize the Sri Lankan Government or President, but to focus on matters of national importance.

“In diplomacy, the nation must always come first,” the group noted, stressing that constructive dialogue builds trust and long‑term cooperation.

As a token of appreciation, Bahujana Balaya presented the High Commissioner with a replica of the Naga Raksha mask, one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic cultural symbols. The mask embodies protection, wisdom, vigilance, and the triumph of truth over evil, with its cobra hood signifying divine knowledge and its striking eyes believed to ward off the “evil eye.”

The Bahujana Balaya delegation included Chairman Milinda Rajapaksha, General Secretary Iranga Mendis, National Organiser Piyal Dharshana Guruge, Media Secretary Anjana Udara, Deputy Chairwoman Kumudini Bandara, and Executive Committee Member Sonala Gunawardene.

The Bahujana Balaya expressed appreciation for the openness of Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and Dr. Rambabu C., noting that diplomacy is strengthened through mutual respect, understanding, and continuous dialogue.

The group said constructive engagement between India and Sri Lanka’s national stakeholders will remain vital for promoting peace, stability, and shared prosperity.