News
JVP Leader punches plenty of holes in govt.
By Saman Indrajith
If a government that has the support of the people is established it will be possible to unite the people of the country and overcome the current crisis, Jathika Jana Balawegaya (JJB) MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake says.
“People will give such a government a year or two to resolve the issues that plague the people. The Constitution says that the sovereignty and the security of the people must be established by a president that is elected by the people. The President is not elected by the people,” Dissanayake told Parliament yesterday.
“President Ranil Wickremesinghe does not have a mandate from the people. The SLPP MPs were elected to Parliament by slandering Ranil Wickremesinghe and his government.
“Remember the SLPP slogans? It flogged issues such as the Treasury bond scams, the Easter Sunday attacks and the sale of Hambantota Port. How can you establish a government led by Wickremesinghe with MPs that were elected after campaigning against him?” he said.
The JJB leader added that the contents of the 2022 interim budget were also against the promises made by the SLPP to the people.
“The IMF delegation itself suggests that people might resist some recommendations and the government should able to mitigate it. So, we need a mandate from the people. Those who contributed to the demise of a country can’t rebuild it,” he said.
Dissanayake said that SLPP MPs had cheered when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa reduced the VAT to 8 percent. Now, they are cheering when the VAT is increased to 15 percent, he said.
“They cheered when the retirement age was extended to 65 and they are now ecstatic when it had again been reduced to 60. When the Rajapaksas said they were planning renationalization, the SLPP MPs cheered. Now they are the biggest supporters of privatisation. The same people who insisted that more people have to be recruited to the state sector a year ago are now adamant that most government servants have to go home. What kind of people are you? You have neither vision nor principles. How can you get the country out of trouble,” he said.
The JJB leader said that in 2021, the Opposition MPs and a number of experts had warned that Sri Lanka was heading for a crisis. However, the SLPP MPs insisted that Basil Rajapaksa was an economic wizard, he said.
“Basil’s budget lasted 10 months. These people backed that silly document. These are the people who will take us out of this mess? There has to be a general election.”
Sri Lanka Naval Ship (SLNS) Sindurala arrived at the port of Visakhapatnam in India on 17 September 2026, to participate in the bilateral naval exercise ‘SLINEX – 2026’.
The Indian Navy formally welcomed the SLN vessel upon its arrival, adhering to naval traditions.
The joint exercise will take place on 20 and 21 September in the seas off the east coast of India. On 18 September, the Commanding Officer SLNS Sindurala, Captain Sunanda Appuhamy, held official discussions with Commander Suraj Aiyappa, Commanding Officer Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kavaratti, aboard both vessels.
The annual exercise aims to enhance cooperation, interoperability, and professional exchange between the two navies. During the exercise, crew members from SLNS Sindurala will also participate in several professional and cultural exchanges organized by the Indian Navy.
Advisory for strong winds and rough seas for Multi-day boats in the Bay of Bengal deep sea areas
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 05.00 p.m. 18 September 2026, valid for the next 24 hours.
PLEASE BE AWARE!
The atmospheric disturbance to the North of the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal, is likely to develop into a low pressure area within the next 24 hours.
Due to its influence, wind speed over the Bay of Bengal sea areas will increase during the next few days starting from
tomorrow (19th).
The wind speed in the sea areas marked under the “Advisory” category on the map below will increase to 55-65 kmph at times and those sea areas will be rough or very rough at times.
Navel and fishing communities engaging the activities over this sea area are advised to be vigilant and be attentive to the future forecasts and bulletins issued by the department of Meteorology in this regards.
Text and Pic by Priyan de Silva
Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC) Ranga Dissanayake has questioned whether some promises contained in the National People’s Power (NPP) manifesto, A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life, could be fulfilled even if the government wanted to implement them.
Dissanayake raised the issue during a discussion following the release of the third biannual report on manifesto monitoring by the March 12 Movement, at the BMICH, on Wednesday.
He questioned whether the report had taken into account legal and institutional constraints affecting the implementation of certain pledges.
Citing the proposal to establish Anti-Corruption Investigation Offices in each district, Dissanayake said such offices could be established only with the agreement of CIABOC and that amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act would be necessary.
He also referred to the pledge to abolish the Executive Presidency, noting that successive governments had made similar commitments since 1994. He questioned whether there had been adequate consideration of where the powers vested in the Executive President would be transferred if the system were abolished.
On the proposal to establish a Public Prosecutor, Dissanayake questioned whether the Government intended to maintain the office alongside the Attorney General, who currently performs prosecution-related functions.
Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake said Dissanayake’s remarks should be regarded as his personal views and not as Government policy.
Monitoring and Evaluation Consultants M. Thilakarajah and D.D. Mataharaarachchi presented the third-phase findings, covering January to June 2026.
SLNS Sindurala arrives in Visakhapatnam for SLINEX 2026
Advisory for strong winds and rough seas for Multi-day boats in the Bay of Bengal
Showers in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya Districts
Some NPP manifesto promises may be difficult to fulfil – CIABOC DG
Yoshitha and ex-Navy chief Karannagoda’s case fixed for PTC
Court orders probe into Wimal’s rally speech
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