Category: News

The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka has provided state-of-the-art radiation and chemical detection equipment valued at $1 million (299 million LKR) to the Sri Lanka Navy, significantly boosting the country’s capacity to detect and respond to nuclear, radiological, and chemical threats in its maritime domain.

This advanced equipment, supplied through the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) and its Office of Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence (NSDD), was officially handed over during a ceremony at Sri Lanka Navy Headquarters on May 15, attended by U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung and Sri Lanka Navy Commander Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda.

The equipment enhances the Sri Lanka Navy’s capability to conduct visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) operations in the Indian Ocean while strengthening its ability to detect and intercept hazardous chemical, radiological, and nuclear materials, safeguarding the nation’s ports and maritime routes.

“This advanced equipment is a vital tool for protecting Sri Lanka’s maritime borders and ensuring the safety of the entire region,” said U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung. “By enhancing the Navy’s ability to detect and respond to nuclear and radiological threats, we are not just strengthening Sri Lanka’s security—we are also safeguarding international shipping routes, protecting communities, and making sure harmful materials don’t reach America’s and other countries’ shores. This partnership is about keeping people safe, maintaining secure trade, and reinforcing our shared commitment to regional security.”

This equipment transfer is the first major initiative following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in February 2024 between the Sri Lanka Navy and DOE/NNSA.

The MOU aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation in detecting and preventing the illegal transport of nuclear and radioactive materials.

In addition to this transfer, in March, the U.S. Embassy, through DOE/NNSA, donated $500,000 worth of new radiation detection equipment at Colombo Port’s West Container Terminal, further enhancing Sri Lanka Customs’ ability to detect radioactive materials and secure global supply chains. This equipment is crucial because it helps prevent dangerous radioactive materials from entering everyday products, protects communities from potential hazards, strengthens the safety of international shipping routes, and stops nuclear and radiological threats before they can reach U.S. shores.

NSDD will continue to support the Sri Lanka Navy in the future through specialized training in the use of radiation detection equipment, and further enhancement of the Navy’s VBSS capabilities. The United States remains committed to supporting Sri Lanka’s efforts to enhance maritime security, detect and deter nuclear threats, and ensure a safer, more secure Indian Ocean region and U.S. homeland.

The 60th anniversary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna falls today (14).

A commemoration ceremony and cultural festival to mark the occasion will be held at 3.30 pm at the Viharamahadevi Open Air Theatre in Colombo today (14).

Leaders of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, members and supporters will participate.

A decision by the government to restrict access to a key Cabinet press briefing has drawn sharp criticism from the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA),

which accuses the administration of threatening media freedom.

The controversy erupted after Shantha Wijesuriya, editor of the Lanka Sky News website and a member of the SLWJA, was denied entry to the weekly Cabinet media briefing on May 8.

Officials cited the lack of a government-issued media ID, despite Wijesuriya holding a press card issued by the International Federation of Journalists and his outlet.

The SLWJA condemned the move, calling it a targeted attempt to silence independent journalists and suppress criticism.

In a letter to Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa and other top officials, the association warned that restricting access based on government-issued accreditation risks eroding press freedom and the public’s right to information.

The incident follows the Minister’s recent remarks stating that only journalists with official government IDs would be allowed into such briefings going forward, a policy seen by critics as exclusionary and undemocratic.

With Sri Lanka already ranking 139 out of 180 in the latest global press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders, media watchdogs say the incident reflects a deepening intolerance for dissent.

The SLWJA is calling for the introduction of an independent body to handle journalist accreditation and for immediate steps to ensure fair access to all legitimate media professionals.

In many countries, including Sri Lanka, where early childhood education or pre-primary education is not available for free, cost prevents children from low-income families from participating, Human Rights Watch has said.

“Although at least 68 percent of national constitutions explicitly protect the right to primary education, constitutional references to early childhood education are almost non-existent,” HRW said in a statement.

“When pre-primary education is not available free, cost prevents children from low-income families from participating.”

“Quality pre-primary education builds cognitive, social, and emotional skills during the most formative years,” HRW said.

In Sri Lanka, primary, secondary and even tertiary education in public institutions is free.

However, many families earn below the international poverty line, of under Rs. 1000 a day or under Rs.30,000 a month preventing them from enrolling children in pre-primary education institutions, which are not free.

“In Sri Lanka, a preschool teacher reported to Human Rights Watch in 2025 that students must pay 1000 LRK (US$3.50) monthly,” HRW said. “When families cannot pay, children do not come “for some months,” she said. In January 2025, only 3 out of 20 students in her class paid.”

“A Sri Lankan education officer said, “If you can’t afford to pay there is no space in the system… Only the families that have money can send their children to preschool.””

“Reasons for low attendance rates in some districts may include the unavailability of preschools near the home, high enrolment and tuition fees, and parents not seeing the benefit of a preschool education for their children and thus not demanding such services,” Sri Lanka’s National Policy on preschool education has told Human Rights Watch.

According to the National Census of Early Childhood Development Centres in Sri Lanka’s 2018 data, 19.8 percent of 19,668 preschools are public. 88.2 percent of the preschools in Sri Lanka charge a fee.

Studies have shown thar the early years of a child’s life are fundamental for overall development. The lack of access to quality education services can have long-term negative effects on cognitive, emotional, and social well-being.

HRW quoted a manager of a primary school in an area in Sri Lanka with high levels of children living in poverty as saying that 70 percent of incoming students had not benefited from any pre-primary education, and cited this as a reason for them facing learning challenges once in primary.

Ireland expanded free preschool to children aged 4 in 2010, and enrollment quickly became almost universal, HRW pointed out.

Pre-primary education is crucial for children with learning and physical disabilities.

Early exposure could strengthen the capacity to benefit from education and reduce stigmatization and discrimination against children with special needs.

The United Nations Sustainable Development goals aim to “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.”

Sri Lanka, which is said to have a literacy rate of 92 percent, grapples in early childhood education with low enrolment rates as fees discriminate against the poor.

The National Election Commission of Sri Lanka has instructed political parties and independent groups to submit the names of candidates elected through the recent local government elections within seven days, based on the number of votes each entity received.

According to the Commission, notifications have already been sent to the general secretaries of the relevant political parties and the leaders of independent groups, informing them of this requirement.

The Commission also issued guidelines regarding the inclusion of female representation in the nomination lists, emphasising the importance of adhering to gender quotas when finalising the elected members.

Once the names are submitted, the list of elected members at the divisional level will be officially published through a government gazette.

Furthermore, the Election Commission announced that the establishment of local government bodies is expected to begin on the 2nd of June.

Elections Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake announced that the official term of the newly elected Local Government authorities will commence on June 2.

Before convening the inaugural meetings of these bodies, the names of the elected members must be gazetted at Divisional level, he added.

Accordingly, the Elections Commission has requested political Parties and Independent Groups that secured majorities in their respective local authorities to submit, within one week, the names of individuals nominated for the positions of Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Chairman and Vice Chairman of those institutions.