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Interdicted top House official Kularatne receives special recognition in Mexican Parliament

Published

3 days ago

2026/10/10

Chaminda Kularatne makes his presentation

Chaminda Kularatne, Senior Attorney-at-Law, interdicted Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary-General of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, recently participated in the UNAM–IPSA RC08 International Workshop, “Parliaments in the Global South: Challenges and Transformations,” held in Mexico City, on 6–7 October 2026, where he presented his research on parliamentary democracy and legislative governance in Sri Lanka.

Kularatne has challenged his interdiction in the Court of Appeal.

Invited by the organisers to present his research, alongside internationally recognised academics and parliamentary scholars, Kularatne participated in his personal capacity as a PhD researcher at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

His research paper, “Executive Dominance and Legislative Constraints: The Transformation of Parliamentary Law-Making in Sri Lanka,” was presented on 06 October during the panel on “Representation and Executive Power.” The paper examined executive influence over parliamentary law-making, institutional constraints on legislative independence and the need to strengthen parliamentary accountability.

The workshop was organised by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), one of Latin America’s largest universities, in collaboration with Research Committee 08 of the International Political Science Association (IPSA). According to the organisers, the event brought together more than 100 participants from 36 countries.

Kularatne was among the invited presenters and panel participants at the workshop, alongside distinguished international academics, including Professor Irina Khmelko of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, United States; Professor Emma Crewe of SOAS University of London, United Kingdom; and Professor Khemvirg Puente Martínez of UNAM, Mexico. The workshop provided valuable opportunities for international academic exchanges on parliamentary democracy and comparative legislative systems.

Kularatne has also been granted associate membership of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), one of the world’s leading international academic organisations in political science, further facilitating international academic collaboration and professional engagement.

A significant highlight of Kularatne’s visit was his engagement with both chambers of the Mexican Congress, one of Latin America’s major legislative institutions.

On 07 October, he visited the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Mexican Congress, where he met senior parliamentary representatives and officials, including Alfonso Ramírez, a deputy leader in the Congress, and Hugo Rosas, Chief Clerk.

During the visit, Kularatne and the accompanying international academic delegation received a distinguished parliamentary welcome. They were invited into the parliamentary chamber during an ongoing sitting and were formally acknowledged and warmly welcomed by the President of the Chamber of Deputies.

The delegation also met representatives of both governing and opposition political parties, exchanging views on legislative procedures, parliamentary administration and democratic governance.

Kularatne described the occasion as an unprecedented experience for a Sri Lankan particularly the formal recognition extended inside the Mexican parliamentary chamber during a sitting. The visit provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen professional and academic connections between Sri Lanka and Mexico.

On 08 October, Kularatne also visited the Senate of Mexico, the upper house of the Mexican Congress, where he met Dr. Arturo Garita, Secretary-General for Parliamentary Services. Their discussions focused on parliamentary administration, legislative procedures and comparative parliamentary practices.

Kularatne is a Senior Attorney-at-Law with over 20 years of legal experience and a senior public servant with more than two decades of experience in parliamentary administration, diplomatic affairs and government service. He has held several senior positions in the Parliament of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka High Commission in London, the Presidential Secretariat, the Prime Minister’s Office and other key government institutions.

He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management from the University of Colombo.

He is currently pursuing doctoral research at the University of Colombo on strengthening parliamentary democracy through private members’ legislation in Sri Lanka, with comparative reference to the United Kingdom and India. His research is supervised by Professor Nishantha Sampath Punchihewa, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, and Professor Sanath Wijesinghe of the Department of Legal Studies, the Open University of Sri Lanka.

Kularatne is currently under interdiction from his position as Chief of Staff and Deputy Secretary-General of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. He has challenged the interdiction before the Court of Appeal. According to his petition filed before the Court, he maintains that the interdiction arose from a personal dispute with the Speaker of Parliament, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne. The case is scheduled to be taken up for support before the Court of Appeal on 15 October 2026.

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Navy Commander attends Trans-Regional Seapower Symposium in Italy

Published

3 hours ago

2026/10/12

Priyan

The Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Damian Fernando attended the 15th edition of Trans-Regional Seapower Symposium, organised by the Italian Navy in Venice in Italy, on 6 and 7 October 2026.

The symposium was held at the Italian Navy‟s historic Arsenal in Venice under the theme “From Regional Waters to Global Influence: Generating Effects Across the Midland Seas of the World”.

Organised biennially by the Italian Navy since 1996, the symposium brings together heads of foreign navies, naval representatives, academics, industry representatives and scientific researchers to discuss maritime security and the role of regional maritime dynamics in shaping the global balance.

The sessions of the symposium aimed to present an analysis of the relevance and influence of regional dynamics on global balances and their relative implications within the maritime domain.

Thus, topics discussed included; ‘Geopolitical Background: Global and Regional Dynamics in Comparison,’ ‘Pivotal Role of Cooperation among Regional Alliances as Security Providers,’
‘Maritime Regional Security Complexes, Global Order and Sea-Based Flows – What Role for Navies?,’ ‘New Arctic Chessboard: Seapower, Resources and the Race for Connectivity,’ ‘Future-
Proof Capabilities: A Naval Force Designed to Operate Across Oceans, Act Within Regions and Deliver Effects on the Ground,’ ‘Future Seas: Industrial Scale, Decisive Mass and Innovation –
Securing the Maritime Domain’ and ‘Future-Proof Leadership: Preparing Maritime Commanders and Sailors for Complexity,’

Cooperation fostered through symposiums of this nature, which bring together a multitude of global maritime stakeholders, will enable the Sri Lanka Navy to respond collectively to maritime
challenges, in pursuit of maintaining a safe, secure, prosperous and a stable ocean region.

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Heavy showers about (100-150) mm are likely at some places in the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva and Southern provinces

Published

3 hours ago

2026/10/12

Priyan

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 13 October 2026
Issued at 2.00 p.m. on 12 October 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

A low-pressure area may form over the southeastern Bay of Bengal by 13 October.

Under the influence of this system, an increase in rainfall is expected over the island and the deep and shallow sea areas around the island during the next few days from tomorrow (13).

The general public, as well as the naval and fishing communities, are requested to be attentive to the future forecasts and bulletins issued by the Department of Meteorology in this regard.

Heavy showers about (100-150) mm are likely at some places in the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva and Southern provinces.
Fairly heavy showers above 75 mm are likely at some places in the other areas of the island. Showers or thundershowers will occur in most parts of the island.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

Misty conditions can be expected at some places in the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces during the early hours of the morning.

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Elephant enrichment programme centred on the Thabbowa Reservoir proves successful

Published

3 hours ago

2026/10/12

Priyan

As part of the new government’s initiative to formulate scientifically grounded, long-term solutions to the human-elephant conflict, a programme aimed at sustainably fulfilling the natural food and water requirements of wild elephants within forest ecosystems is being successfully implemented.

Spearheaded by the Ministers of Environment, guided by the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, and supported by all affiliated institutions, this initiative transforms tanks (reservoirs) and forest tracts in high-conflict areas into enriched zones for wild elephants.

To facilitate this forest enrichment drive, 113 forests have already been declared protected reserves under the Vanaspathi National Programme. The initial phase of establishing tank enrichment zones was launched around the Kala Wewa and Thabbowa reservoirs.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Environment and ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ jointly carried out an initiative to develop these reservoir
catchments into designated enrichment zones.

A year ago, an operation to eradicate invasive plant species that posed a severe environmental threat to the Thabbowa reservoir precinct was conducted with the comprehensive labour and
technical support of government officials, environmental scientists, the tri-forces, and residents.

Since the new government’s policy of “A Sustainable Biosphere, An Evergreen Life” is practically implemented at the ground level, officials from the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Department of Forest Conservation have been continuously monitoring the ongoing progress and
field conditions of this collaborative project under ministerial directives.

During these field reviews, it was observed that following the removal of invasive flora, the tendency of wild elephants to wander into villages searching for sustenance has notably declined; instead, they increasingly frequent the naturally regenerated grasslands along the reservoir fringes.

Having proven this ecological model’s success through trials at Thabbowa and Kala Wewa, the Ministry of Environment has finalized all necessary blueprints to swiftly replicate it across other sensitive wetland systems and reserve zones where human-elephant conflict is prevalent.

By enriching wildlife habitats, this sustainable, eco-friendly, and scientific strategy protects human lives and cultivated farmlands while securing space for wild elephants in their native habitats, continuing to show promising results across high-conflict regions.