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A farewell for UN Ambassador Kshenuka Senewiratne

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Ambassador Kshenuka Senewiratne was presented with a plaque by the President of the Sri Lanka Association in New York (SLANY) Sanjeev Silva and his wife.

The Sri Lankan expatriate community in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, hosted an outdoor farewell luncheon last week to honour Sri Lanka’s outgoing Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Kshenuka Senewiratne and her husband Suren Senewiratne.

Conforming to rigid health regulations against the coronavirus pandemic, over 75 Sri Lankan expatriates, most of them masked, braved the spreading virus and turned up for the lunch at Medwick Park, Carteret, New Jersey.

Ambassador Senewiratne and her husband arrived in the company of a Police escort vehicle as befits diplomatic protocol.

The expats at the lunch included alumni of Royal, St Thomas’ and Ananda Colleges, and representatives of the Sri Lanka Association of New York (SLANY), the Sri Lanka Medical Association of North America (SLMANA) and The Association of Sri Lankan Muslims in North America (TASMINA).

Attending the farewell were Congressman Frank Pallone of New Jersey who is serving his 16th Full Term in the US House of Representatives representing the sixth Congressional District and former Franklin Councilman Rajiv Prasad – both strong political supporters of Sri Lanka.

Congressman Pallone was instrumental in establishing the first Congressional Caucus on Sri Lanka in October 1998, served as Co-chair for ten consecutive years, and currently serves as an important and most knowledgeable member within the Sri Lanka Caucus in the US Congress.

Both Pallone and Prasad praised Kshenuka for her accomplishments, including being the first SL woman ambassador to the UN.

Dr Wije Kottahachchi, one of the organisers of the farewell and a former president of SLMANA, singled out the Ambassador’s “brilliant diplomatic career and her service to the Sri Lankan community in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.”

Among her significant contributions to the Sri Lankan community, he said, was the pandemic response where she set up two hotlines manned by mission staff to assist community needs with four Sri Lankan doctors volunteering their services to the community and facilitated by Ambassador Senewiratne.

In his vote of thanks on behalf of the organizing committee, Vajira Gunawardana, a former President of Royal College Old Boys’ Association East Coast Foundation, thanked the ambassador for her exceptional service to the country, the United Nations, and the Sri Lankan community.

As the first female Sri Lankan ambassador to the UN, he said, “you introduced a new level of sophistication to the office of ambassador. This coupled with your demeanor, humility, and social engagement with the whole spectrum of the community, has brought new respect to the office of the ambassador.”

With the current campaign of gender empowerment at the UN, he said., Ksenuka’s superlative credentials should be an asset when women activists search for the right candidate to be elected the first woman UN Secretary-General next year.



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UN asks govt. to vacate ‘remaining lands still occupied and used economically by the military’

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Volker Türk

Military-held land down to 9% in North and East

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has said that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, during discussions with the Sri Lankan government, stressed the importance of releasing the remaining lands still occupied and used economically by the military.

OHCHR has included updated information provided by the government on land releases in its reports to the Human Rights Council, the OHCHR said.

OHCHR team member Jeremy Laurence said so in response to The Island query regarding the HC’s call for release of land which both serving and retired officers considered unfair.

The Island posed the following question to the HC’s office: “At the conclusion of the UNHRC Chief’s visit to Sri Lanka recently, one of the issues he raised was the failure on the part of the armed forces to vacate public and private property held in the Northern and Eastern provinces. However, the military insists that approximately 91% of the total land held at the time of the conclusion of military operations, in May 2009, had been released. We would like to know whether the UNHRC Chief hadn’t been briefed by the government of Sri Lanka or the UN Mission in Colombo on the vacation of approximately 91% of the land held by the military in 2009.

The Island contacted OHCHR as suggested by the UN Mission in Colombo.

The military pointed out that of over 24,000 acres held in the Jaffna and Kilinochchi sectors in 2009, less than 2,500 acres remained in their hands. “We are down to the bare minimum. Further reductions will pose major challenges,” one retired officer said.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

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Need to attend to sick wild elephants promptly discussed at high-level meeting

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A high-level discussion on the urgent treatment of sick wild elephants was held on Monday (July 7) at the Ministry of Environment under the patronage of Minister of Environment Dr. Dhammika Patabendi and Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody.

Senior veterinary officers representing the Wildlife and Zoological Parks Veterinary Officers’ Association participated in the discussion alongside Secretary to the Ministry of Environment Rohitha Udawawala and Director of Veterinary Services of the Department of Wildlife Conservation Dr. Tharaka Prasad.

The focus of the meeting was to streamline rapid response measures to treat elephants suffering from illnesses in the wild and to ensure timely access to life-saving antibiotics and medical resources.

Commenting on the need for swift intervention, Environment Minister Dr. Dhammika Patabendi said:

“We cannot allow delays when it comes to the treatment of our wild elephants, especially those suffering from life-threatening conditions. These majestic creatures are an integral part of our natural heritage, and it is our duty to act fast. We are committed to providing our veterinary officers with the tools, resources, and policy support necessary to carry out this responsibility efficiently.”

Discussions also focused on identifying infected elephants promptly, administering treatment without delay, and addressing any shortages in medical supplies such as antibiotics. The officials explored avenues to ensure logistical and infrastructural support for veterinarians working in the field.

Significant attention was drawn to the existing cadre shortages within the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s veterinary and technical teams. Plans were discussed to address these gaps with the approval of the Department of Management Services and the Ministry of Public Administration.

Additionally, the need to provide field veterinarians with appropriate technical facilities and mobility support was emphasized as a key priority in enabling effective on-ground operations.

The meeting concluded with an understanding that urgent procedural and administrative steps would be taken to fast-track recruitment, supply of medication, and operational improvements necessary to protect the health of Sri Lanka’s wild elephant population.

By Ifham Nizam

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Navy seizes contraband pesticides and seeds in Puttalam and Kalpitiya

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The Navy detected a significant haul of smuggled pesticides and seeds during operations conducted in Puttalam and Kalpitiya from 20 to 30 June, 2025. The separate operations also resulted in two dinghies and a lorry also being taken into custody, Navy Headquarters said.

In a search operation on 20 June, the Northwestern Naval Command’s SLNS Vijaya inspected a suspicious lorry near Alankuda Beach, Puttalam, resulting in the vehicle, along with 32 sacks of pesticide materials and seeds suspected to have been smuggled into the country, being taken into custody.

On 28 June, during another search near Ippantivu Island, Kalpitiya, naval personnel spotted and took into custody two dinghies carrying 15 sacks of pesticide materials intended for smuggling.

It is suspected that the smugglers abandoned the contraband, along with the lorry and dinghies, due to heightened naval surveillance. The seized items were handed over to the Katunayake Customs Preventive Office for further investigation and legal action.

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