News

Church of Ceylon expresses concern over deteriorating situation

Published

3 years ago

2023/02/25

The Church of Ceylon has said it is deeply concerned with the deteriorating situation in the country with regard to governance and the erosion of public confidence in the democratic process.

The Church of Ceylong has, in a media statement, said: “We are all aware that the country was rendered bankrupt due to policy blunders, corruption, waste and mismanagement by those who were entrusted the task of governing the country. The people have now been burdened with very painful economic measures which could have been averted if the right thing was done at the right time,” the Church of Ceylon said in a press statement.

The Church added that the vast majority of Sri Lankans are intelligent and hardworking people and they are now facing hardships due to the negligence and arrogance of a select group of politicians and public officials.

Full text of the statement:

“The decision by the government to withhold funding for the Local Government Election is an unreasonable and arbitrary course of action which will have far-reaching consequences. The government, which sponsored a tamasha at state expense, on account of Independence Day, nearly a fortnight ago has no moral right to withhold funding of an election. It has been nearly a

year since the government announced its decision to default on external creditors. Any government, which claims that it is unable to fund an election, even after defaulting on its obligations to the outside world, has no legitimate authority to continue in office. We call on the government to take immediate measures to provide the resources to the Election Commission, and other state agencies, to hold free and fair elections, as provided for in the Budget that was passed by Parliament.

“The hallmark of any democracy is the opportunity it affords citizens to choose their own elected representatives at the due time. Denying that opportunity to our people will only affirm the fact that we are now under a dictatorship. Deploying thousands of police officers to disperse demonstrations, with water cannons and tear gas, is simply not the solution. Any government in power, which remains blind to the ground realities, will not be able to command support from any quarter to steer the country out of this economic mess. The country needs unity and democracy to face the political and economic challenges ahead.

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News

SAARC journalists meet in New Delhi

Published

12 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

President of SJF Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi hands over a memento to Dr Alok Kumar Mishra Joint Secretary of the Association of Indian Universities

Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.

Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.

A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.

The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.

News

Governor of Gujarat met with Sri Lanka PM to discuss exposition of Devnimori Relics

Published

14 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.

These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.

The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.

The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

News

INS GHARIAL makes port call in Colombo

Published

20 hours ago

2026/02/6

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.

Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.

During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.

The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.