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Ex-Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism tells govt. not to put cart before horse

Published

2 years ago

2023/09/16

Attempting to boost tourist arrivals without enhancing domestic production will only create further problems in the country, Dr. Rohantha Athukorala, the former Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism and Sri Lanka Export Development Board, has said.

Taking part in a television interview, Athukorale said that Sri Lanka hoped to attract five million tourists by 2030 and out of that 2.5 million were expected to be high-end tourists.

“We need to look at the bigger picture. We must see the role tourism will play in the bigger picture of the country’s development. In the current situation, we have a shortage of food; for example we don’t have enough eggs. 75 percent of the people have reduced their food bill so their kids can go to school. On top of that we expect to get 1.5 million tourists this year,” he said.

When a country skews itself toward one particular industry, it suffers with regard to other aspects. In such a situation, organized groups come in and see how they can exploit that industry, Dr. Athukorala said. This is manifest in certain groups that harass tour guides and their clients, and groups of taxi drivers who prevent other drivers from booking apps.

“We have to balance tourism with production. If we produce enough, we can guarantee essentials for people and products that many tourists need at a reasonable cost. Otherwise, let’s say we achieve the target of five million tourists in 2030 without boosting our agriculture. Then either tourists will consume a significant portion of our food or we will have to increase imports drastically. Then, instead of having 75 percent of the people who have reduced their food bill, so their kids can go to school, we will have 90 percent of such people”.

Dr. Athukorala said that authorities must also take steps to convince people that they, too, have a role in ensuring the success of tourism. While there is a global marketing campaign going on to attract tourists, people must be taught that they should behave in a way that keeps the promise we have communicated.

“Tourism is a goose that lays golden eggs. We have to behave in a way that wants to make people come back,” he said. He said that following the global pandemic, where people were stuck at home, there has been a massive increase in people travelling. Sri Lanka has benefited greatly from this. However, moving ahead, the country needs to develop the strategies and infrastructure to receive the tourists.

“65 percent of tourists who come to the country go to the Temple of the Tooth. During the Kandy Perahera, which attracts thousands of tourists, there is a shortage of toilets. Look at Ella, a hot destination, and there are no public toilets for tourists.

“The private sector, who makes the money from tourists, must step up and build the toilets. They also need to understand the need to build up infrastructure. If not, there will be so many bad reviews in the coming years, and that will even hurt the high-end tourist traffic that we want to attract,” he said.

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Amendment to the regulations for registration of Subscriber SIM Cards (Subscriber Identity Modules- SIM) and reregistration of subscriber information related to the SIM cards obtained before 02-08-2019

Published

38 mins ago

2026/02/11

Priyan

As per the provisions of the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Act No. 25 of 1991, the regulations for registration of subscriber SIM Cards (Subscriber Identity Modules- SIM) No. 01 of 2019 have
been declared on 02-08-2019 and the aforementioned regulations are only applicable for the SIM cards issued after that date.

Therefore, the information on certain subscribers who registered before 02-08-2019 is not available with the telephone operating companies, which has led to problematic situations in certain law investigation activities.

Further, it has been recognized the necessity of amending the regulations appropriate to the current requirements, including the new provisions relevant to the registration of subscribers between the ages of 16 and 17 and the issuance of SIM
cards for foreigners who come to Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution presented by the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Digital Economy, to introduce new regulations providing the provisions for reregistration of the information of the subscribers who have obtained the SIM cards before 02-08-2019 and amending the currently implemented regulations for registration of Subscriber SIM Cards (Subscriber Identity Modules- SIM) No. 01 of 2019.

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Police open fire on speeding van in Jaffna: 17-year-old driver killed

Published

3 hours ago

2026/02/11

Sahan Weerasooriya

The van shot by the police

Police are investigating the circumstances under which its men, manning a checkpoint, opened fire on a vehicle, killing a 17-year-old boy in Jaffna, in the early hours of yesterday (10).

Police said that they opened fire at a van that ignored orders to stop at the checkpoint. The dead youth was identified as Albino Arul Bias, a resident of Vaddukoddai. Bias was identified as the driver of the vehicle.

Sources said that the incident happened at a checkpoint at the Alaipiddy junction, along the Jaffna–Urkavalthurai road.

After the vehicle was brought to a stop, the teenage boy, who had been inside, was found to have sustained critical gunshot injuries. He was subsequently transported to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital for emergency treatment. Despite medical intervention, he later succumbed to his injuries.

Two other individuals, who were inside the vehicle, have been taken into custody by police. Authorities have stated that one of those arrested is from the Vaddukoddai area, while the other is from Nallur.

Assistant Superintendent of Police, Attorney-at-Law, F. U. Wootler said that the men had no option but to open fire as they were suspicious of the vehicle. “The incident happened around 1 am in the morning and their failure to heed the police order couldn’t be justified under any circumstances,” the spokesman said (SF)

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HRCSL employee protests demanding justice, takes swipe at Presidential Secretariat

Published

3 hours ago

2026/02/11

Sahan Weerasooriya

Ayanthini Shiromini protests opposite HRCSL main office at R.A. de Mel Mawatha yesterday (10) pic by Nishan S. Priyantha

‘There is no basis for her accusations’- HRCSL

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Permanent employee of Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) Ayanthini Shiromini yesterday (10) protested outside its main office at No 14, R.A. de Mel Mawatha, formerly Duplication road, in a bid to draw the attention of the Presidential Secretariat to her plight.

At the protest site, Shiromini told The Island that she had been relentlessly targeted since 2018 and the situation took a turn for worse in 2023 over her protest against the appointment of a particular member to an internal interview board and an incident pertaining to a complaint lodged against the then IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon.

Responding to a query regarding the 2018 developments, Shiromini said that she met with a near fatal accident in 2014 while engaged in official duty and depended on crutches for eight years and was recommended by a medical board to grant the opportunity for suitable work. Mother of two and post graduate social science in Kelaniya University and human rights at the Colombo University alleged that the HRCSL changed her status regardless of the recommendation made by the medical board.

Having failed to convince the top HRCSL administration to treat her fairly, Shiromi said that she sought the intervention of the Presidential Secretariat in late July 2025 to rectify the problems experienced by her.

She alleged that the Presidential Secretariat sided with the HRCSL and did absolutely nothing. “Instead of taking remedial measures, the Presidential Secretariat sent the file submitted by me against the HRCSL top management back to them. They shouldn’t have done that,” Shiromini said.

Shiromini staged a protest opposite HRCSL main office on the world human rights day on Dec 10, last year to highlight what she called injustice done to her by the HRCSL and the Presidential Secretariat. Shiromi said that she called off the protest after receiving an assurance from the Presidential Secretariat that two committees would be appointed to inquire into issues raised by her. “I had no option but to protest again as the Presidential Secretariat did nothing to address her grievances.”

A top spokesperson for HRCSL said that her allegations didn’t hold legal weight. The Parliamentary Ombudsman inquired into her accusations and the HRCSL fully explained the developments since the 2014 accident that took place in the Balangoda area.

The official said that after the accident she was granted the opportunity to work from home and other relief. “But we couldn’t have continued with the same indefinitely and she reacted angrily after a decision was made to treat her like a normal employee after the recovery,” the official said.

Shiromini has served the HRCSL since 2005. The official strongly denied allegations that Shiromini had been mistreated and harassed by a section of the HRCSL staff. “Of course, there had been a series of clashes with other employees and incidents provoked by the disgruntled worker but the HRCSL tried to address the issues in a systematic way,” the official said.

The official alleged that Shiromini exploited the post-Aragalaya situation for her advantage.

Shiromini said that she intended to continue the protest until the Presidential Secretariat ordered an investigation into the conduct of HRCSL top management. In a lengthy letter addressed to members of parliament, Shiromini named the Presidential Secretariat personnel who mishandled her case.

The HRCSL official said that in spite of her being a long-standing employee of the institution she seemed to be unaware that the President couldn’t appoint a committee to inquire into the HRCSL. “We do not have anything to hide,” the official said, calling the lone protester a quarrelsome employee.