Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that for the first time in history, mosques in Kandy had opened their doors to accommodate the needs of devotees visiting the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic and that people have now started to think of themselves as Sri Lankans beyond dividing into ethnicities and religions.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing a public gathering held in the Paragahadeniya area in Kurunegala.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya further stated:

“This country is undergoing a transformation we expected,so accordingly, we must operate in new ways. People are beginning to feel that we must work towards a new transformation. We can see this change even within our ministries. These days, sometimes when we visit ministries even after 5 PM, and ask if it is possible to have discussions, the officials are always open. Today, public officials are willing to work late into the night, until 9 or 10 PM. Officials have now started working without fear.

Remarkably, for the first time in history, Muslim mosques in Kandy remained open throughout the night to accommodate pilgrims visiting the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. They even provided space for devotees to rest. There were no ethnic or religious tensions. What we saw was respect for other ethnicities and religions. This is happening because there is now a sense of a government that represents all Sri Lankan people, not just Sinhalese, Muslims, or Tamils”.

The event was attended by the candidates for the local government election including the residents of the area.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) has urged the NPP government to prevent Japan’s Onomichi Dockyard Company from selling its 51% ownership stake in the Colombo Dockyard Limited (CDL) to Indian government-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai, a leading shipbuilder.

FSP spokesman Pubudu Jayagoda told The Island yesterday (27) that the move seemed to be in line with the overall India-Sri Lanka understanding on the basis of the recently signed memorandum on defence cooperation.

Against the backdrop of deteriorating financial situation, the Japanese company has informed the board of directors of CDL of its plans to divest its 51 percent ownership stake in the international shipbuilding and repair company. The Japanese shipbuilder made the announcement in early Dec last year.

Alleging that an agreement has been reached on the sale of Onomichi’s controlling ownership stake to the Indian ship builder, Jayagoda questioned

the move as Mazagon primarily built a range of warships and attack submarines. Jayagoda pointed out that according to Mazagon’s profile, the Indian government-owned business undertaking was involved with European companies engaged in ship and submarine construction.

Addressing a Local Government election meeting at Weeraketiya, Pallekanda, in support of those contesting the May 6 election on the ticket of Jana Aragala Sandhanaya (JAS), the executive committee member of JAS Jayagoda emphasized that in terms of the agreement between Sri Lanka and Japan, Onomichi couldn’t sell its stake without the Sri Lankan government’s approval. Therefore, the NPP government should intervene to halt the Japanese-Indian move, the FSP spokesman said while urging the parliamentary opposition to publicly oppose the planned sale of the Japanese stake.

Among other stakeholders are Sri Lanka Insurance, Sri Lanka Ports Authority and EPF.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Former SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella has said the JVP/NPP government totally mishandled the Siri Dalada Vandana relic exposition and now Kandy is reeking of waste.

Kiriella said the government’s lack of planning and experience in organising large-scale national events had led to serious public health concerns in both the city and its suburbs.

“They invited the public to Kandy even without ensuring that at least adequate sanitary facilities would be available. Now, the streets are strewn with heaps of garbage, human waste, polythene bags, and even bottles of urine. People are increasingly worried that this could trigger a disease outbreak.

 “The government failed in every aspect of planning. It should have learnt from how former Presidents Ranasinghe Premadasa and Mahinda Rajapaksa handled similar expositions,” Kiriella said. “Those leaders began preparations three months ahead of the events.

They held at least 15 planning meetings, inviting MPs from both the government and Opposition to ensure proper coordination.”

Kiriella said that under past administrations, more than 10 ministries worked in unison to provide infrastructure and support for the event. “The Health Ministry ensured a steady water supply, the Housing Ministry provided tents and huts, and the Ministry of Tourism handled food and refreshments,” he recalled.

“The current government did none of this. What should have been a spiritual and well-organised national event was turned into a nightmare,” Kiriella said.