Category: News

Over 24,000 postal vote applications for the upcoming Presidential election have been rejected, the Elections Commission said.

The Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake said that 736,589 applications were received for postal voting during the 2024 Presidential election.

He said that of the 736,589 applications 24,268 postal vote applications were rejected.

Sri Lankan will elect a new President on 21st September 2024.

Postal voting for the election will be held on September 04, 05 and 06.

The Office for Missing Persons gets accused of trying to conceal the truth while failing in its duty to account for a single victim of enforced disappearances.

The OMP threatens Tamil women who seek justice for their missing loved ones and forces death certificates on them, and also closed down the mass grave in Mullaitivu, said Mariyasuresh Eswari, head of the district’s association of relatives of missing persons.

Despite our repeated calls for an international probe and mechanism, the government insists on a domestic one to strengthen the OMP, while telling the world community it does much for the aggrieved families, she charged.

Speaking to the media on 18 August, Eswari said even three days earlier, women were told to be present at an inquiry and to give their signatures in return for a Rs. 200,000 compensation and death certificates.

They have been rejecting these offers all along.

Eswari claimed more skeletal remains were surfacing in many areas, and demanded the resumption of excavations at the Kokkutuduvai gravesite too.

The Mahanayake of the Malwatta Chapter Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera has raised concerns regarding the security aspect of the proposed link road between Sri Lanka and India was when constructed.

The Thera raised this concern during a meeting with the Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha yesterday at the Malwatta temple.

Ven.Sumangala Thera pointed out that Sri Lanka did not have any produce to be exported to India through the proposed road but Sri Lanka would face the threat of large consignments of Kerala Ganja and narcotics being smuggled into the country.

However, the High Commissioner explained that the project would not be implemented in the near future and that the planning of the project and talks regarding its implementation would take at least two years.

He refuted the misconception that the project was unfavourable to Sri Lanka and that it would be beneficial to the two countries. In reply to the Ven. Thera’s query whether an agreement had been signed between the two countries to implement the project, the Indian High Commissioner pointed out that it was subject to talks.

He said the individuals engaging in contraband trades would not use the main entrance but use secret accesses.

The High Commissioner further said that Indian Prime Minister had implemted several projects to uplift Buddhist places of worship and to reduced the expenditure on power and energy.

In reply to a query from the media he said the Indian government was prepared to extend its cooperation to any President or government in power.

Asst. High Commissioner in Kandy Athira S was present at the occasion.

A Gazette notification will be issued tonight stipulating the maximum amount that a Presidential Candidate can spend on each voter during their election campaigns, the Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake said.

Accordingly, the maximum amount that each candidate can spend will be gazette as Rs. 109.00 per voter, he said.

All upcoming national elections will be subject to new campaign finance laws that will limit the amount of funding that candidates, political parties and independent groups can spend on their campaigns.

Ahead of the upcoming presidential election, the Election Commission had met with various stakeholders to brief them on the legislation and obtain their views and suggestions on establishing the spending limit and how to move forward in implementing the laws.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday (18) pledged to abolish the Executive Presidency if he is elected President next month.

Premadasa made this pledge during a rally at Ruwanwella.

“A number of past Presidents have pledged to abolish the Executive Presidency but never did it. I will do it and introduce a system based on the legislature,” he said.

The Chinese naval training ship, PLANS Po Lang, is set to visit Sri Lanka as part of its midshipmen ocean-going training mission.

This visit is scheduled to take place between mid-August and late November, according to a statement from Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, the spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense.

The mission, which includes stops in Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, and a technical stop in Hong Kong, aims to enhance the professional capabilities of midshipmen.

It also seeks to strengthen exchanges, cooperation, and mutual trust between the Chinese PLA Navy and the navies of the destination countries.

Senior Colonel Zhang emphasized that this initiative is part of China’s broader effort to contribute to the building of a maritime community with a shared future.