News
About 90% of SL youth under 25 want to go overseas to live comfortably
By Rathindra Kuruwita
More than 90 percent of youth under 25 believe that they have to go overseas if they are to live comfortably, lecturer at the University of Vocational Technology, H.A Gayan Madushanka, who is one of the authors of a recent study titled ‘Better living, better opportunities: Exploring how economic distress influence the intention to migrate’ says.
The study had been carried out between June and August 2023, he said. 33 percent of respondents have completed an advanced-level coursework, nine percent have completed diploma-level coursework, 59 percent have completed degrees, and one percent have completed doctoral degrees, according to Madushanka.
“About 92 percent feel like this. 66 percent of people we interviewed were in the process of leaving the country. These are people who have at least started learning Korean, seeking employment in South Korea. We also found that 58 percent of the respondents were facing stress because of the economic crisis. There is a lot of uncertainty, and a lot of people don’t think they can achieve their objectives if they stay here,” he said.
Madushanka said they had interviewed a large number of university students and that most students had to stay in Colombo or move to the city to find jobs that match their education level. Many were not certain that it would not be possible with the starting salaries of most of the jobs available, he said.
“On the other hand, young people who have left the country seem to be enjoying a better quality of life. Most undergraduates feel that they, too, need to leave. A lot of undergraduates, who do not come from well off families, are struggling financially,” he said.
Almost all respondents believed that living in Sri Lanka would not provide them with the necessary skills to compete on a global scale.
“Sixty six percent of respondents stated that they would leave the country as soon as a job opportunity presented itself to ensure a better future and to be rewarded for their efforts. Due to uncertainty, nearly one third of respondents said they had lost focus on studies and daily activities. They reported increased anxiety, a lack of uninterrupted sleep, and peer pressure,” he said.
Madushanka said that the beginning of the economic crisis could be traced to Easter Sunday attacks and continued through the COVID lockdowns and the economic crisis. Even young people from well off families started feeling that the country was not a stable place for them to live.
“Even if people have money, their purchasing power has drastically decreased and the services as well. Companies froze recruitment and there were salary cuts. Inflation also rose. Young people feel uncertain about the future,” he said.
Madushanka said they had also come up with a number of policy recommendations that minimise the exodus of youth from the country.
Among the recommendations they had come up with are: make it mandatory for and public sector organisations to recruit a minimum of 25% of their workforce annually from the youth demographic; implement state backed initiatives to support young entrepreneurs and encourage self-reliance by nurturing startup enterprises; develop comprehensive mental health guidelines for employees and university students by establishing anonymous helplines within universities for open communication, ensuring widespread access to these services; mandate universities and workplaces to employ a minimum of one mental health specialist, fostering an environment where students and employees can openly discuss and seek assistance for their mental health concerns; implement participatory research practices at the district level to assess diverse community needs comprehensively and create sustainable mechanisms for advancing youth-driven initiatives and foster cross-border collaborations within state universities to provide students exposure to international academic frameworks, equipping them with the skills required to meet global demands effectively.
The Sri Lanka Navy successfully recovered its Fast Attack Craft P 4447 following a successful salvage operation, bringing a multi-stage emergency response to a close.
The craft, which ran into distress during a routine patrol on 15th August 2026 off Angulana, was brought to the surface on 11th September, from a depth of approximately 80 feet. It was
subsequently towed to the Colombo Dockyard premises.
The initial phase of the operation immediately following the incident focused on search and rescue. A joint effort involving the Navy, Air Force, Police, and local fishermen from Angulana
resulted in the rescue of 11 crew members. The search and rescue phase drew to a close with the recovery of the remains of the Second in Command of the craft, on 4th September.
Following the search and rescue phase, specialized Navy diving and salvage teams launched a dedicated recovery phase against rough sea conditions and underwater challenges, adhering to
strict safety protocols. The Navy’s marine, hull, electrical, and electronic engineering teams utilized specialized technical know-how and equipment to raise the vessel in stages.
Thus, the salvage operation marked an outstanding achievement attained through the professionalism, technical expertise of Navy divers, and coordinated contribution of all
engineering and technical branches of the Sri Lanka Navy. Technical support and specialized expertise were also extended by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and Colombo Dockyard PLC.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Opposition should intensity its focus on the forthcoming selection of a member of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and remain vigilant as Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickremaratne, MP, the head of the Constitutional Council (CC) tasked with making the relevant recommendation, is under investigation by the CIABOC, sources familiar with the ongoing inquiry told The Island.
Chethiya Goonasekara, PC, is expected to complete his three-year term on Dec 31, 2026. Sources pointed out that CIABOC Commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendation made by the 10-member Constitutional Council.
The CIABOC initiated the investigation following a complaint lodged by suspended Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary General of Parliament Chaminda Kularatne in early February this year. Sources said that as Goonasekera is scheduled to complete his term toward the end of 2026, the CC would have to call applications soon to choose the successor.
Goonasekara received his appointment from President Ranil Wickremesinghe in January 2024. A Justice W. M. N. P. Iddawala was appointed Chairman of the CIABOC. The other commissioner is K. Bernard Rajapakse.
Asked whether Iddawala and Rajapakse, too, would complete their terms soon, sources said that in terms of the Anti-Corruption Act No 09 of 2023, the Chairman of CIABOC would hold office for a period of five years, second commissioner (K. Bernard Rajapakse) for four years and the third commissioner (Chethiya Goonasekara) for a period of three years.
Sources said that the Opposition as well as civil society representatives in the CC should take up the issue of Speaker facing an investigation by the CIABOC taking part in the forthcoming selection process. Responding to queries, sources emphasized that the issue was whether in terms of Section 107 of the Anti-Corruption Act the participation of the Speaker in the selection process amounted to a violation of the Act itself.
The current members of the CC are Dr Jagath Wickramaratne, Speaker and Chairman of the Constitutional Council, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister, Sajith Premadasa, Leader of the Opposition, Bimal Rathnayake, MP, Aboobucker Athambawa, MP, Ajith P. Perera, MP, Sivagnanam Shritharan, MP, Austin Fernando, Civil society representative, Prof. Wasantha Seneviratne, Civil society representative and Ranjith Ariyaratne, Civil society representative.
Sources pointed out that in spite of the sensitivity of the case, the CIABOC recorded Kularatne’s statement in the second week of August, six months after he lodged the complaint.
The CIABOC on 3, 8 and 10 Sept recorded the statements from the Transport Officer, Deputy Director, Administration and Assistant Director, Finance regarding the use of facilities by the Speaker, those assigned to his staff and other relevant matters.
The NPP named Dr. Wickramaratne as the Speaker after Asoka Ranwala resigned over controversy regarding his higher education qualifications.
SJB lawmaker Dayasiri Jayaskera has repeatedly raised the issues concerning the Speaker with the focus also on the Speaker using two government-managed residences, relevant staff in addition to expenditure on food, transport and fuel provided to the Speaker’s private secretary.
Political sources said that trouble erupted after the Parliamentary Staff Advisory Council in late January sacked Kularatne accusing him of providing false information to secure his appointment. Before being appointed as the Deputy Secretary-General of Parliament in 2023, Kularatne held several high-ranking positions, including Secretary to the Chief Government Whip, Additional Secretary to the President, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister, and Additional Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition.
The SJB declared in Parliament that Ranwala should be brought back as the Speaker as they have no faith in Wickramaratne. MP Mujibur Rahuman jokingly told parliament that the Opposition wouldn’t raise Ranwala’s educational qualifications.
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has stressed the need to conduct a comprehensive countrywide cadre revision urgently.
GMOA spokesman Dr. Lasitha Dhammika told The Island that the failure on the part of successive governments to conduct cadre revision caused the deterioration of the public sector health services. Due to the absence of required statistics, they hadn’t been able to fully comprehend the situation on the ground and to ascertain the requirements of the public.
Dr. Dhammika pointed out the expansion of the services without supporting statistics and the need to initiate an immediate cadre revision. According to him, the GMOA had raised this issue with successive governments without success. The GMOA spokesman said that they also sought relevant information from the Health Ministry in terms of the Right to Information (RTI) Act two weeks ago but was yet to receive response.
(SF)
Fast Attack Craft P 4447 recovered in successful salvage operation
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