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Local ‘mafia’ campaigning to derail sale of star sapphire cluster to prospective global buyers

Published

5 years ago

2021/08/1

Sahan Weerasooriya

Gem and Jewellery Authority Chairman says

By Suresh Perera

A local ‘mafia’ has unleashed an organized campaign of misinformation to thwart the sale of the star sapphire cluster unearthed at Pelmadulla near Ratnapura to prospective international buyers, a top industry official asserted.

“They are trying to deliberately devalue the precious gemstone in an attempt to discourage global bids so that they can make a kill after procuring it for a rock-bottom price”, says Tilak Weerasinghe, Chairman of the Gem and Jewellery Authority.

The rare gemstone weighing 510-kilograms or 2.5 million carats, described by the Authority as the “world’s biggest star sapphire cluster”, has been estimated to be worth US$ 100 million or possibly more. It surfaced from the backyard of a house when some workers were digging a well at Pelmadulla near Ratnapura known as the “city of gems”.

The negative publicity on the worth of the star sapphire cluster has emanated from the local ‘mafia’ keen to put prospective international buyers off track so that they can grab the rare find for a fraction of its worth, he said.

“Many international buyers have already shown a keen interest in procuring it”.

There are collectors who make fantastic offers to buy rare gemstones of this calibre, Weerasinghe pointed out. “I am confident we will be able to fetch a record price for it”.

He said the BBC report on unearthing a star sapphire cluster of this magnitude not found anywhere in the world so far triggered a frenzy with scores of prospective global collectors and buyers expressing interest in purchasing it.

Two persons described as “professionals in the lapidary field” dismissed speculation that the gemstone was not “worth millions of dollars”, as claimed.

Expressing their views on a television channel, one of them said the gemstone was basically a “museum piece” and estimated its worth to be around one million rupees.

The other person placed its value at around Rs. 400,000 and said he had more precious gems in his possession.

The fact that the star sapphire cluster was described as a “museum piece” itself shows that it’s priceless, Weerasinghe interjected. “We cannot fix prices to exhibits in a museum”.

This precious gemstone is a part of our national pride, he stressed. “It will be an honor to our country to bestow it to the world”.

Those who live like frogs in a well don’t understand that there’s a world beyond which appreciates and rewards what’s of worth and value, the Chairman noted. “People with their own agendas want to paint a different picture to achieve their own ends”.

Outlining that as a professional he has dealt with precious stones and also traveled to multiple world capitals on related work, Weerasinghe recalled the sale of a 25-kilo rare gemstone for millions of dollars at a London auction some time back.

Apart from precious gemstones, even the personal belongings of celebrities such as Michael Jackson have fetched millions of dollars at public auctions, he continued.

Asked whether the star sapphire cluster was unearthed at Pelmedulla about a year ago, he replied, “yes, only the owner of the property and I knew about it. We kept it under wraps until the pandemic situation both here and globally improved to make the announcement so that we could secure a good price for it”.

“Over the past year, it was cut and polished and a valuation done after it was analyzed and certified to be ready for the market”.

He said there will be a 25% tax component to the Sri Lankan government on the sale price of the gemstone.

State Minister of Gem and Jewelery Related Industries, Lohan Ratwatte, said that Sri Lanka is also looking at placing the precious gemstone for bidding at an auction in China in November this year.

During the cleaning process, a few stones that dislodged were found to be high quality star sapphires. They were pale blue in colour, officials said.

However, despite the euphoria about the prospect of the star sapphire raising millions of dollars, some experts have warned that though the specimen has a high carat value at 2.5 million, all the stones within the cluster may not be of high-quality.

“It remains to be seen how an international valuation will play out”.

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Maldivian President plants a sapling to mark 60 years of Sri Lanka–Maldives Diplomatic Relations

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/4

Priyan

President of the Maldives, Dr Mohamed Muizzu, who is on a State Visit to Sri Lanka at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, planted a sapling this afternoon (04) at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Upon arrival at the Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu was warmly received by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Children lined both sides of the pathway holding the national flags of the two countries and paid tribute to the visiting Maldivian President.

Among those present at the occasion were Deputy Speaker Rizvi Salih, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath and the Mayor of Colombo, Vraie Cally Balthazaar, along with several other dignitaries.

[President’s Media Division (PMD)]

News

Sri Lanka and Maldives strengthen ties with productive bilateral talks

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/4

Priyan

Following the bilateral meeting between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives, who is currently on a State visit to Sri Lanka, official-level bilateral discussions between the delegations of the two countries were held this morning (04) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The discussions commenced after the formal welcome ceremony accorded to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu earlier this morning within the Presidential Secretariat premises.

Extending a warm welcome to the Maldivian President, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressed his appreciation for accepting the invitation to visit Sri Lanka.

President Dissanayake noted that President Muizzu’s visit, taking place as the two nations mark 61 years of diplomatic relations, reflects the strong partnership, mutual trust and longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The President further expressed confidence that the visit would mark a new phase in bilateral relations.

The two leaders engaged in extensive discussions on ways to further expand and diversify multifaceted cooperation, including economic, cultural and social ties, in a manner that delivers mutual benefits to the people of both countries.

Key areas of focus included tourism promotion, educational cooperation, youth and sports development, challenges faced by both nations in the fisheries sector within the Indian Ocean region, education and vocational training, as well as defence training and broader security cooperation.

Representing the Government of Sri Lanka were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Anil Jayantha Fernando, Minister of Science and Technology, Krishantha Abeysena; Deputy Speaker Rizvie Salih, Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retired), Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (covering Europe, North America, East Asia and Oceania, Southeast Asia and Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Legal Affairs) M. R. K. Lenagala, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the Maldives, Mohamed Rizvi Hassan and Director (South Asia and SAARC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Mahesha Jayawardena.

The Maldivian delegation included Minister of Foreign Affairs Iruthisham Adam, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources, Ahmed Shiyam, Minister of Homeland Security and Technology, Ali Ihusaan, Chief of Staff to the President, Abdulla Fayaz, Principal Secretary to the President on Foreign Relations, Mohamed Naseer; Chief Government Spokesperson, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, High Commissioner of the Maldives to Sri Lanka,Masood Imad; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Chief of Protocol , Mohamed Shahudy, Deputy Minister at the President’s Office, Mr Mohamed Hassaan and Minister Counsellor at the Maldives High Commission in Sri Lanka, Mr. Ismail Mamdhooh.

[President’s Media Division (PMD)]

News

Maldives and Sri Lanka exchange seven MOUs

Published

5 hours ago

2026/05/4

Priyan

Seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), signed across several sectors between the Maldives and Sri Lanka, were formally exchanged this morning (04) at the Presidential Secretariat in the presence of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives.

Marking a new chapter in Maldives–Sri Lanka relations, the MoUs cover cooperation in the fields of health, sports, tourism, education and defence.

Accordingly:

1. MoU on Tourism Cooperation between the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

2. MoU on Archiving Cooperation between the Department of National Archives of Sri Lanka and the National Archives of the Maldives was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

3. MoU on Training and Professional Development of Teachers and School Leaders between the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Skills Development of the Maldives and the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education of Sri Lanka was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath.

4. MoU on Sports and Youth Development Cooperation between the Republic of Maldives and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka was exchanged by Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Iruthisham Adam and Sri Lanka’s Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage.

5. MoU on Defence Cooperation between the National Counter Terrorism Centre of the Maldives and the Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka was exchanged by the Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retired).

6. MoU between the Ministry of Defence and National Service of the Maldives and General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University of Sri Lanka was exchanged by the Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad and the Vice Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rear Admiral Dammika Kumara.

7. MoU on Academic Cooperation between the University of Colombo of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Health, Family and Welfare of the Maldives was exchanged by Maldives High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Professor Indika Mahesh Karunathilake.

The state visit of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, undertaken at the invitation of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, aims to further strengthen economic, cultural and social ties between the two countries, while enhancing their multifaceted partnership.

Cabinet Ministers, government officials and members of the Maldivian delegation, representing both Sri Lanka and the Maldives, were present at the occasion.

[President’s Media Division]