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Mahindra & Mahindra launches Lanka’s first ever locally assembled single cab – New Bolero City Pik-Up 

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Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. of India and Ideal Motors in Sri Lanka hand over the first new Bolero City Pik-Up, the first single cab pick-up to be assembled in Sri Lanka, to Suren Cooke – Director, Suren Cooke Agencies, at the Waters Edge Battaramulla on Thursday. From left:  Sachin Arolkar, Head of International Operations, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, Suren Cooke- Director, Suren Cooke Agencies, Veejay Nakra, CEO, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd,  Nalin Welgama, Founder & Chairman, Ideal Motors and Aravinda de Silva, Deputy Chairman of the Ideal Group.

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M Ltd.) and Ideal Motors, a fully owned subsidiary of the Ideal Group, today announced the start of deliveries of the new Bolero City Pik-Up in Sri Lanka. With this, Bolero City Pik-Up becomes Mahindras first single cab pick up to be assembled in the country. The vehicle has been in production at Mahindra Ideal Lankas Automotive assembly plant at Welipenna. The first batch of vehicles were delivered to the customers at an event held in Colombo on Thursday.

Sri Lanka is one of M&Ms most important overseas markets. M&M has been present in the country for more than 25 years with a robust automotive & farm portfolio. The brand has been holding a leadership position for over 10 years in the pick-up category.

The addition of Bolero City Pik-Up will further strengthen its position in the category. With the gradual opening of the market amidst the pandemic, the commercial vehicle category is witnessing an increase in demand. Mahindra is boosting its production capacity at the Sri Lankan plant to meet the market demand for single cab pickups

Veejay Nakra, CEO, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd. said, “Sri Lanka has been a strategic market for Mahindra. We have been scaling up our local presence by expanding the product range through the Make in Sri Lanka initiative. With the addition of the Bolero City Pik-Up to our portfolio, we will further reinforce our leadership in this category. I am delighted to announce the introduction of the first locally assembled pick up in Sri Lanka.

Addressing the gathering, Nalin Welgama, Founder & Chairman, Ideal Motors said, Ideal Motors and Mahindra have been working together for a decade to deliver value to our customers. Our small commercial vehicle range has played a pivotal role in the economic development of the country over the last many years. This new Bolero City Pik-up will open many opportunities for small and medium entrepreneurs in the country. We believe in giving the best customer experience through our island wide network.”

With easy maneuverability, big cargo box and reliable high-power engine, the new Bolero City Pik-Up has been designed for urban and rural applications. This pick-up will offer class leading cargo capacity and payload in the category, thus enhancing the earning potential for its owners. This will be supported by a class-leading extended warranty of 36 months/ 100,000 km. Customers are assured to earn more profit and have complete peace of mind.

The New Bolero City Pik-Up is powered by Mahindras proven 2,523cm3, m2Di, four-cylinder, diesel engine providing power of 46.3 kW (63 HP) & torque of 195 Nm for better performance. The Bolero City Pik-Up has a payload capacity of 1400 kg and 2640 cm x 1700 cm (8.7 ft x 5.6 ft) cargo box to carry heavy loads effortlessly. Its sporty eye-catching wrap around headlamps, a stylized front chrome grille, a trendy dual tone instrument panel and comfortable fabric seats with matching door trims, gives it a more stylish and elegant look.



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Govt. extends ban on LTTE

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The NPP government has issued a new extraordinary gazette renewing and extending Sri Lanka’s long-standing ban on the LTTE and several Tamil diaspora organisations and individuals, continuing to designate them as “terrorists”.

The gazette, published recently, replaces a previous gazette issued in May 2025 and reaffirmed the proscription of a wide range of Tamil political and advocacy bodies operating around the world, alongside dozens of named individuals. The government alleged both the organisations and individuals listed are involved in “terrorism-related activities”.

The organisations blacklisted by the Sri Lankan government include:

• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

• Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO)

• Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC)

• World Tamil Movement (WTM)

• Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)

• World Tamil Relief Fund (WTRF)

• National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT)

• Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO)

While the majority of the designations mirror those contained in the May 2025 gazette, the latest document updates identification details and addresses for a number of individuals and introduces at least one additional organisation to the list. All entries have been reissued under new reference numbers for 2026, though the underlying allegations and framing remain unchanged.

Successive governemnts have maintained a sweeping proscription regime against Tamil diaspora groups and individuals. A ban can make it a criminal offence for Sri Lankan citizens to maintain contact with these organisations or their members, severely restricting political engagement and stifling links between the diaspora and the Tamil homeland.

The original mass listings were introduced in 2014 under the administration of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Despite repeated outcry, subsequent governments have continued to uphold and renew the proscription regime, even after the Rajapaksas were voted out of power.

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Police obtain court order banning Wimal’s protest

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National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa addresses a gathering outside the Education Ministry on Monday before launching a protest demanding the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya as Education Minister over the inclusion of a link to an adult content website in the Grade 06 English module. (Pic by Thushara Atapattu)

Police yesterday (12) obtained an injunction order from the Kaduwela Magistrate’s court against the protest launched by National Freedom Front (NFF) leader and former Minister Wimal Weerawansa opposite the Education Ministry, Isurupaya, at Battaramulla.

Police informed Weerawansa of the court order. In line with the court order, the police informed Weerawansa that the road near the Ministry should not be obstructed and that no sound amplification equipment be used while the GCE Advanced Level (A/L) examination is in progress. The examination, put off due to Cyclone Ditwah, recommenced yesterday.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expresses optimism that Sri Lanka is on the right path to progres

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FM Herath with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath held productive discussions with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi today (12/01), during the latter’s brief visit to Sri Lanka.

The meeting aimed at further strengthening bilateral engagement and advancing the Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the two countries. Both Ministers reaffirmed the longstanding friendship and time-tested cooperation between Sri Lanka and China rooted in centuries of exchanges and consolidated since the establishment of diplomatic relations seven decades ago. The discussion also focused on enhancing partnership in the areas of trade, investment, development cooperation and tourism.

Minister Herath extended deep appreciation to the Government and the people of China for the steadfast support extended to Sri Lanka following cyclone Ditwah and requested further support for the second phase of resettlement, relocation and rebuilding, particularly for the restoration of affected infrastructure including identified roads, railways and bridges that are vital to connectivity, economic recovery and daily lives of people. Minister Wang assured China’s fullest support for this initiative and expressed confidence that Sri Lanka will continue its rapid recovery under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Disanayaka. He also welcomed the people-centric policies of the Government and expressed optimism that Sri Lanka is on the right path toward fulfilling aspirations of its people.

Minister Herath expressed appreciation for China’s constructive role in international fora and reiterated Sri Lanka’s firm commitment to the One China Policy and China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Both Ministers also recalled the successful high level exchanges in the recent past, including visits of the President and the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka to China in 2025.

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