By Ifham Nizam

At a time when Sri Lanka is seeking to reposition itself as a premium tourism destination amid economic recovery and declining mass-market margins, Dr. Thisara Hewawasam, Chairman and Founder of Aviyana Ceylon, has been recognised with the 2025 People’s Award – Lifetime Achievement (VIP Category) for his contribution to business leadership and tourism-led economic transformation.

Dr. Hewawasam received the award at the 2025 People’s Awards ceremony held recently in Colombo, in recognition of his role in pioneering Sri Lanka’s first seven-star hotel project, Aviyana Ceylon, and for advancing globally competitive standards within the local hospitality sector.

The award was presented by Vietnam’s Ambassador to Sri Lanka Trinh Thi Tam, along with Parliamentarian Harshana Rajakaruna and Iconic Awards Director Asanka Athapattu, reflecting growing diplomatic and regional attention to Sri Lanka’s private-sector-driven growth narrative.

According to the official citation, the honour recognises Dr. Hewawasam’s leadership as a homegrown entrepreneur who translated long-term vision, discipline and innovation into a hospitality venture designed to compete at the highest international level. His work was acknowledged for strengthening Sri Lanka’s tourism brand while supporting national economic recovery through high-value investment, skills development and employment creation.

Crucially, the citation highlights that Dr. Hewawasam’s contribution extends beyond a single project. By positioning Aviyana Ceylon at the ultra-luxury end of the market, he has helped shift the national tourism conversation away from volume-led growth towards value-based tourism, a model increasingly viewed by policymakers as essential for improving foreign exchange earnings without overburdening infrastructure or natural ecosystems.

Industry analysts note that Sri Lanka’s tourism sector is at an inflection point, where attracting fewer but higher-spending visitors has become a strategic necessity. In this context, flagship developments such as Aviyana Ceylon are seen as confidence signals to international investors, demonstrating that locally led projects can meet global benchmarks in design, service quality and brand ambition.

The People’s Award—conferred only once in a recipient’s lifetime—serves as a public endorsement of leadership that delivers sustained national impact.

In recognising Dr. Hewawasam, the award highlights the growing role of domestic entrepreneurs in shaping Sri Lanka’s post-crisis growth model, particularly in sectors capable of delivering long-term foreign exchange stability.

First published in 1970, Professor G. L. Peiris’ The Law of Evidence in Sri Lanka has, for more than five decades, occupied a distinctive place in the country’s legal literature. Few works of legal scholarship in Sri Lanka have enjoyed such continuity of use. For generations of law students, practising attorneys and members of the judiciary, it has remained a dependable guide to the Evidence Ordinance and to the principles governing its application.

From its earliest editions, the book received approval from senior members of the legal profession, who recognised its clarity of expression, careful analysis, and practical value to both Bench and Bar. That early reception helped secure its position as a standard reference, while its sustained demand over the years confirmed the confidence placed in it by successive legions of readers.

The present edition is noteworthy for the extent of its revision. This is not a simple reissue of an established text, but a fully updated volume in which the commentary has been reviewed and strengthened to reflect changes in statute, judicial interpretation, and contemporary legal practice. Of particular significance is the inclusion of an entirely new chapter dealing with computer-generated evidence and connected matters, an area that has assumed increasing importance with the expansion of digital records and electronic communication in legal proceedings. The new preface situates the work in this modern context, while remaining faithful to the scholarly purpose that informed the book from its inception.

At the same time, the core discussions of evidential principle that formed the book’s original strength have been retained where they continue to instruct. Other sections have been revised or supplemented to take account of later authorities and emerging practical concerns. Practitioners will note the careful updating of case law, while students will find the familiar clarity of exposition preserved, now supported by references aligned with present-day requirements of study and practice.

In undertaking this revision, care has been taken to maintain the book’s measured tone and methodical structure. The balance struck between continuity and renewal ensures that the work retains the authority earned over many years, while offering clear relevance to today’s legal community.

This new edition reaffirms The Law of Evidence in Sri Lanka as a living text, continuing quietly and usefully to contribute to the study and practice of law in Sri Lanka, and is published by Lake House Printers & Publishers PLC, with the book already available at leading bookshops in Sri Lanka.

Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus will soon meet the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, to explore ways and means of reactivating the National Commission on Women.

The decision to seek Dr. Kumanayake’s intervention was made during discussions held at the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus recently on the expedited implementation of the functions of the National Commission on Women. The caucus met at the Parliamentary Complex, under the leadership of Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Saroja Savithri Paulraj.

During the meeting, attention was drawn to a letter, dated 2nd February, 2026, submitted to the caucus by Senior Lecturer Ms. Janaha Selvaras, a member of the National Commission on Women, requesting immediate action to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of the Chairperson of the Commission and to ensure the Commission becomes operational without delay.

Dr. Ramani Jayasundere resigned from her post after declaring concerns over a lack of operational independence, marking a significant setback for the country’s efforts to establish an independent institution to safeguard women’s rights..

The resignation follows warnings from NWC Commissioners that administrative interference is compromising the Commission’s autonomy. They claim the body, created under the 2024 Women’s Empowerment Act, has been unable to function due to the absence of a dedicated budget, independent premises, and recruited staff—despite government assurances, the report said.

The caucus discussed the vacancy of a commissioner position at the National Commission on Women, in accordance with the provisions of the Women’s Empowerment Act, No. 37 of 2024, as highlighted in a letter, dated 20th January, 2026, addressed to the caucus by Dr. Ramani Jayasundara, who was serving as the Chairperson of the Commission at the time.