News
Ambassador Kohona thanks China for coming to Lanka’s rescue with generous assistance
Sri Lanka Ambassador to China Dr. Palitha Kohona attended the opening of the China-South Asia Emergency Supplies Reserve in Chengdu on July 9.
The Lankan Embassy in Beijing said: The emergency reserve was the result of a Zoom meeting convened by Foreign Minister Wang Yi in April and attended by the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Given the regularity with which natural disasters seem to afflict the South Asian region, the creation of the emergency reserve would enable the reserve to dispatch emergency supplies with the least delay. Today the mobilisation of emergency supplies takes too long.
Vice Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao, a former Ambassador to Colombo, presided over the ceremony. The Vice Governor of Sichuan and the Mayor of Chengdu attended the event.
Ambassador Dr. Kohona in his remarks said that South Asia suffered regularly from natural calamities and the emergency reserve would be a great response mechanism and an asset. With climate change increasingly causing climate related emergencies with unpredictable and unusual weather, the creation of the emergency reserve was timely.
President Xi Jinping has committed China to be carbon neutral by 2060 and was leading the world’s response to climate change by example. China was an example to the world. The leadership provided by the Communist Party of China was exemplary.
Ambassador Dr. Kohona thanked China for coming to Sri Lanka’s assistance generously with vaccines when the COVID-19 situation was threatening to slip out of control. He also said that Sri Lanka had a well-mobilised public healthcare sector which bore the brunt of the national COVID-19 response. It was a resource that Sri Lanka would be able to share with the world when the pandemic comes under adequate control in Sri Lanka.
Eksath Janaraja Peramuna (EJP) yesterday complained to the Election Commission (EC) regarding President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent threat that the government would release funds only to local government bodies to be won by a clean party at the May 06 LG polls.
The EJP, led by former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, complained that President Dissanayake has claimed during a public rally at Weligama that the NPP was the only clean party.
The EJP is contesting 37 LG bodies at the forthcoming election.
The new party said that the rights of the other contesting political parties and groups had been violated by the President.
The EJP asked the EC to ensure a level playing field
Having handed over their complaint, EJP spokesman Theekshana Gammanpila told the media outside the EC office that Anura Kumara Dissanayake had won last year’s presidential election and then the parliamentary election as the then government ensured a free and fair election. But now President Dissanayake was making a despicable attempt to influence the electorate in the run-up to the vital mini polls. Gammanpila alleged that the President’s intervention could have a far reaching impact on the electorate.
The EJP spokesman emphasised the responsibility on the part of the EC to intervene and take tangible measures to prevent President Dissanayake from manipulating the electorate to their advantage. (SF)
Former North Central Province Chief Minister S. M. Ranjith and his private secretary Shanthi, who is his brother, former Minister S.M. Chandrasena’s wife, were yesterday (02) sentenced to 16 years rigorous imprisonment after being found guilty of corruption charges. They were also ordered to pay a fine of Rs. 200,000 each.
The judgment was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge Aditya Patabendi.
They were convicted on charges filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
S.M. Ranjith was found guilty of enabling Shanti to secure an additional fuel allowance between Sept 2012 and Dec 2014 to the tune of Rs 2.68 mn.
The Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka hosted a concert of Japanese traditional music by the Honganji Temple & Foundation Japanese Orchestra featuring the performers of NYSC on 28th March in honour of the visit of Most. Ven. Ohtani Chohjun Nayaka Hamuduruwo, the 25th Head Priest of Higashi Hongan-ji Grand Temple.
The event featured a Japanese tea ceremony and breathtaking musical performances by the Honganji Temple & Foundation Japanese Orchestra, showcasing traditional Japanese instruments such as the Koto and Shamisen. The evening was further enriched by violin and vibrant dance performances by students from the National Youth Council (NYSC) and Lanka Nippon Biztech Institute (LNBTI).
This cultural celebration further strengthened the deep ties between Japan and Sri Lanka, offering a unique experience of Japanese tradition and heritage.
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