Category: News

Sri Lanka GSP+ monitoring mission from EU from April 28

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A monitoring mission to from the European Union will be in Sri Lanka to assess progress meeting conditions linked to granting GSP+ preferences to the island, the Delegation for EU said in statement.

The mission will be in Sri Lanka from April 28 to May 07, to “take stock of progress on the fulfillment of conditions linked to the granting of GSP+ trade preferences.”

“This is part of the regular biannual monitoring to which the Government of Sri Lanka has committed in order to benefit from GSP+,” the statement said.

“Sri Lanka is one among eight low- or lower-middle income countries benefitting from the GSP+.

“This is a special incentive arrangement for Sustainable Development and Good Governance that is open for vulnerable developing countries that have ratified 27 international conventions on human rights, labour rights, environmental protection and climate change, and good governance.

“The effective implementation of these 27 conventions is monitored with biannual missions and reports.”

The EU has raised concerns over Sri Lanka Prevention of Terrorism Act, which allows to long periods of detention without trial.

The GSP+ allows duty free access to Sri Lanka exports, especially apparel to EU nations. The mission is arriving as US President Donald Trump has threatened 44 percent tariffs on Sri Lanka products.

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Ex-President Ranil to appear before Bribery Commission on Monday

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Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe will appear before the Bribery Commission on Monday (28 April) over the statement he had made on MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, his lawyers have informed the Commission.

Accordingly, the former President will appear before the commission at 9.30 a.m. on Monday.

Wickremesinghe was initially summoned by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on April 17 in relation to a statement he had made about the bribery case filed against New Democratic Front MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake.

In response to the previous summons, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe had indicated that he is prepared to appear before the commission but requested a different date citing that his attorneys will not be available in Colombo during the New Year holiday period.

Accordingly, the commission provided him with a new date and requested to appear before the commission at 09.30 a.m. on Thursday (April 25).

On April 7, former president Ranil Wickremesinghe had claimed that MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake withdrew the fixed deposits belonging to the Uva Provincial Council, over which he is now facing corruption charges, in accordance with a circular issued during his tenure as the Prime Minister.

The former President questioned whether the MP’s arrest over the matter was in response to his vocal criticism of the government in parliament.

Parliamentarian Chamara Sampath Dassanayake is currently in remand custody for allegedly misappropriating a sum of Rs. 1 million of the Uva Provincial Council in 2016.

MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake was taken into custody on March 27, over three separate corruption-related cases.

The Colombo Magistrate’s Court previously granted bail in the cases filed against him but he remains in remand custody due to an order issued by the Badulla Magistrate’s Court.

According to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), Dassanayake had solicited funds from three state banks, claiming they were intended to provide bags for preschool children in the province.

Two banks complied, granting him Rs. 1 million and Rs. 2.5 million, which were later transferred to his personal foundation account.

However, when a third bank refused to provide funds, Dassanayake reportedly retaliated by withdrawing the Uva Provincial Council’s fixed deposits from that institution.

The Bribery Commission filed a case against the MP, citing the government incurred a financial loss of Rs. 17.3 million due to his actions.

India summons top Pakistani diplomat after Kashmir attack on tourists- Reuters

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India has summoned the top Pakistani diplomat in New Delhi, local media reported on Thursday, a day after it announced measures to downgrade ties with Islamabad as relations between the nuclear-armed rivals plummeted following a deadly militant attack in Kashmir.

A day after suspected militants killed 26 men at a tourist destination in Kashmir in the worst attack on civilians in the country in nearly two decades, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said there was cross-border involvement in the attack and New Delhi would suspend a six-decade old river-sharing treaty as well as close the only land crossing between the neighbours.

India will also pull out its defence attaches in Pakistan and also reduce staff size at its mission in Islamabad to 30 from 55, Misri said.

India has summoned the top diplomat in the Pakistan embassy in New Delhi, local media reported, to give notice that all defence advisers in the Pakistani mission were persona non grata and given a week to leave, one of the measures Misri announced on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for an all-party meeting with opposition parties on Thursday, to brief them on the government’s response to the attack.

In Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was scheduled to hold a meeting of the National Security Committee to discuss Pakistan’s response, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a post on X.

The Indus water treaty, mediated by the World Bank, split the Indus River and its tributaries between the neighbours and regulated the sharing of water. It had so far withstood even wars between the neighbours.

India would hold the treaty in abeyance, Misri said.

Diplomatic ties between the two countries were weak even before the latest measures were announced as Pakistan had expelled India’s envoy and not posted its own ambassador in New Delhi after India revoked the semi-autonomous status of Kashmir in 2019.

Tuesday’s attack is seen as a setback to what Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party have projected as a major achievement in revoking the special status Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed and bringing peace and development to the long-troubled Muslim-majority region.

Postal voting for 2025 LG Polls begins

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The marking of postal votes for this year’s Local Government (LG) elections commences today (April 24), with over 648,000 eligible voters expected to cast their ballots by mail.

Postal voting will take place over four designated days — April 24, 25, 28, and 29 — allowing eligible applicants from a wide range of government institutions to participate in the democratic process.

This includes personnel from government departments, police and armed forces, public schools, state-owned corporations, and statutory boards.

The commission emphasized that no extensions will be granted beyond these four days. Elections Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake reaffirmed that the time frame for postal voting is final and urged all eligible voters to make use of the given dates.

According to the Commission, a total of 648,495 applicants have been approved to vote by post in the upcoming local government elections.

Former Presidents Asked to Return Extra Official Vehicles

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The government has decided to reduce the number of official vehicles and the monthly fuel allowance provided to former Presidents.

A circular was issued recently by the Secretary to the President regarding this decision.

According to the circular, the number of official vehicles allocated to former Presidents by the Presidential Secretariat will be limited to two.

Former Presidents have been informed to return all additional vehicles to the Presidential Secretariat in accordance with this decision.

Furthermore, the monthly fuel allowance for a former President has been capped at 900 liters.

Previously, the monthly fuel allowance was 2,250 liters.

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Shani Abeysekara Appointed to Committee Investigating Easter Sunday PCoI Report

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Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya has appointed Senior Superintendent of Police Shani Abeysekara to the special committee reviewing the Presidential Commission report on the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, raising the number of members from four to five, according to Police Media Spokesman SSP Buddika Manatunga.

The original four-member committee was appointed on Tuesday, 22 April, to examine the findings of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry. The committee is led by Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Asanga Karawita.

This follows direct instructions from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who formally handed over the final report and all accompanying volumes of the Commission to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on 20 April.

The updated committee now includes:

Senior DIG Asanga Karawita (Chair)
DIG of the CID
Director of the CID
Director of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID)
SSP Shani Abeysekara

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Indian HC meets ex-Presidents Mahinda and Ranil

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The Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, has called on former Presidents Mahinda Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe in separate meetings.

The discussions were held last afternoon (April 22).

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), the Indian High Commission in Colombo stated that during the meeting between High Commissioner Santosh Jha and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the two exchanged views on the versatile and dynamic India–Sri Lanka partnership in the context of global developments.

The High Commissioner has also briefed him on recent advancements in both India and Sri Lanka, the tweet added.

Furthermore, in a separate post on ‘X’, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said it was a pleasure to welcome the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka for a courtesy call at his residence last evening (April 22).

“We had a warm and cordial discussion on the longstanding ties between our two nations, India and Sri Lanka,” former President Rajapaksa said.

Meanwhile, the High Commission of India also posted about the meeting between the Indian High Commissioner and former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

According to the post, the High Commissioner briefed the former President on recent developments in the bilateral partnership. They also had a meaningful exchange of views on the shared history between India and Sri Lanka, as well as the limitless potential of a shared future, it said.

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India downgrades ties with Pakistan after attack on Kashmir tourists

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India announced a raft of measures to downgrade its ties with Pakistan on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, a day after suspected militants killed 26 men at a tourist destination in Kashmir in the worst attack on civilians in the country in nearly two decades.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a media briefing that the cross-border linkages of the attack had been “brought out” at a special meeting of the security cabinet, after which it was decided to act against Pakistan.

He said New Delhi would suspend with immediate effect a crucial river water treaty that allows for sharing the waters of the Indus river system between the two countries.

The defense advisers in the Pakistani high commission in New Delhi were declared persona non grata and asked to leave, Misri said, adding that the overall strength of the Indian high commission in Islamabad will be reduced to 30 from 55.

The main border crossing checkpost between the two countries will be closed with immediate effect and Pakistani nationals will not be allowed to travel to India under special visas, Misri said.

At least 17 people were also injured in the shooting that took place on Tuesday in the Baisaran valley in the Pahalgam area of the scenic, Himalayan federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The dead included 25 Indians and one Nepalese national, police said.

It was the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai shootings, and shattered the relative calm in Kashmir, where tourism has boomed as an anti-India insurgency has waned in recent years.

A little-known militant group, the “Kashmir Resistance,” claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 “outsiders” had been settled in the region, spurring a “demographic change”.

Indian security agencies say Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, is a front for Pakistan-based militant organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Pakistan denies accusations that it supports militant violence in Kashmir and says it only provides moral, political and diplomatic support to the insurgency there.

Source: Reuters

2025 LG Polls: ‘E-Service’ launched to assist postal voters

Posted on | by TELO Admin

The Election Commission says that an ‘e-service’ has been made available to assist postal voters in locating their designated voting location and certifying officer.

The Commission noted that the platform also helps users identify candidates contesting the 2025 Local Government (LG) elections, along with their respective groups, parties, and election symbols.

Public officials can access this service by visiting eservices.elections.gov.lk , where detailed information about postal voting is provided.

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Easter Attack Probe: Minister Calls for Patience, Assures Transparency

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Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, the Cabinet Spokesperson, addressed the concerns surrounding the President’s earlier announcement that the mastermind behind the attacks would be presented by the 21st.

Journalist raised questions on the matter noting that despite this promise, no updates have been provided, leading to accusations from the opposition that the government is being deceptive.

Dr. Jayatissa emphasized that the government was compelled to investigate the Easter attacks six years after they occurred, due to previous attempts to suppress investigations for nearly five and a half years.

He noted that if proper investigations had been conducted within those six years, the masterminds and conspirators might have already been exposed. However, political interference by the previous Cabinet had hindered the investigation process, with some investigation committee reports not being implemented and officials frequently transferred or forced to leave the country. Only in the past six months have these investigations resumed correctly, revealing previously suppressed and misled incidents.

When asked about the President’s statement and the subsequent report, Dr. Jayatissa explained that the speed of revealing facts is determined by the investigation process, not by the President or the government. The government is facilitating the investigation process, and conducting the investigation is entirely entrusted to the relevant institutions.

Regarding the seven proposals presented by His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith concerning the Easter attacks, Dr. Jayatissa stated that the government’s stance on this matter will be announced soon. The proposals have been discussed in depth, and appropriate responses will be provided.

Dr. Jayatissa urged everyone to allow the investigations to proceed without unnecessary agitation. He emphasized that the investigations will reveal certain facts, and any shortcomings in previous statements will be addressed based on the investigation findings.

Regarding the involvement of Pillayan in the Easter attacks, Dr. Jayatissa clarified that one should not consider that the only crime Pillayan committed was the abduction of the Eastern University professor. He said there are several other charges against him, and more information is being disclosed during the 90-day questioning period. Based on these investigations, two individuals have already been taken into custody, and the police will reveal their involvement in certain murder operations as the investigation progresses.

Dr. Jayatissa also addressed concerns about the government’s ability to handle the situation, stating that despite continuous claims by some politicians and media channels that the government cannot revive the economy or ensure national security, the people trusted them and formed a government. He assured that the government is acting according to that mandate and is not concerned about the agitation of those involved in the conspiracy.