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Administrators oppose govt. move to deploy Clean Sri Lanka agents in District and Divisional Secretariats

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The Sri Lanka Association of Divisional Secretaries and Assistant Divisional Secretaries (SLADA) has written to the Secretary to the President requesting the withdrawal of a decision to appoint “Clean Sri Lanka” coordinators at provincial, district and divisional levels, warning that it could seriously undermine the independence of the public service.

In a letter, signed by SLADA President R. Senthil and Secretary R. M. Nuwan C. Hemakumara, the Association has referred to a directive issued by the Secretary to the President, dated March 20, 2026, instructing District Secretaries to appoint coordinators for the programme and to provide them with facilities within Divisional Secretariat offices.

The Association has noted that Sri Lanka already has a long-established administrative framework to ensure effective public service delivery, spanning ministries, departments, provincial councils, district and divisional secretariats down to Grama Niladhari divisions. This system is supported by internal audit units, the National Audit Office, and coordination committees at divisional, district and national levels, which oversee and review programme implementation.

The SLADA has acknowledged that specific officers have already been assigned at divisional level to implement activities under the government’s Clean Sri Lanka initiative, which is being monitored

through existing community development committees and coordination mechanisms.

The association has expressed concern over the appointment of separate coordinators at district and divisional levels and the instruction to allocate office space and attach public officials to support them. It has argued that divisional secretariats are neutral public service institutions that provide services to all citizens without political, religious or ethnic bias, and that their independence must be safeguarded.

While acknowledging some isolated instances of politically influenced conduct by a small number of officials, SLADA stressed that the overall administrative structure has functioned as an independent and depoliticised system that has earned public trust.

The association further pointed out that the current government’s policy framework emphasises efficient and impartial public service delivery without interference in the independence of state institutions.

It has warned that appointing politically connected coordinators within divisional secretariats and attaching government-paid officials to them could seriously compromise administrative neutrality and may also raise legal concerns.

SLADA said previous attempts to introduce similar arrangements had been resisted, adding that the current system already allows for effective coordination, monitoring and review of government programmes, including Clean Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, the Association urged the President’s Secretary to revoke the decision and allow existing administrative mechanisms to handle programme implementation. It warned that any such precedent could have long-term adverse implications for the independence of the public service, and expressed hope for a reconsideration of the directive, stating that it would not cooperate with the current arrangement unless the request is addressed.



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One dead in US after being struck by taking off Frontier Airlines plane

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A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado [Aljazeera]

A person has died after jumping an airport perimeter fence in the US state of Colorado and being struck by a Frontier Airlines plane, according to authorities.

Denver International Airport said the unusual incident occurred late Friday, after the unidentified individual gained access to the tarmac.

It said the “pedestrian jumped the perimeter fence and was hit just two minutes later while crossing the runway”.

A brief engine fire followed the collision, which was put out by emergency responders, according to the airport.

It said that 12 of the 231 people on board suffered minor injuries, with five hospitalised.

The airport said investigators had examined the fence line where the individual entered and “found it to be intact”.

It added that the struck individual “is not believed to be an employee of the airport”.

“We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved,” the airport said.

Both local authorities and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were investigating the incident.

Airport safety in the US came under renewed scrutiny earlier this year amid a prolonged shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which temporarily left both Transportation Security Agents (TSA) and air traffic controllers working without pay.

While instances of people being killed on airport tarmacs are rare, Friday’s incident came a day after a Delta employee was killed after an airport vehicle struck an airbridge at Orlando International Airport.

In March, two pilots were  killed after an Air Canada Express plane crashed into a fire-rescue vehicle at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

About 225,000 people travel through Denver International Airport a day.

[Aljazeera]

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Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the  Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, Uva, North-western and Northern provinces and in Anuradhapura district.

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WEATHER FORECAST FOR 10 MAY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 10 May 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

The low-level atmospheric disturbance in the vicinity of Sri Lanka is likely to develop into a low-pressure area around 11th of May. Therefore, the prevailing showery conditions over the island are expected to continue during the next few days.

Showers or thundershowers will occur at most places over the island, and cloudy skies are expected over the island. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the  Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, Uva, North-western and Northern provinces and in Anuradhapura district.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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Lanka Port City officials to meet investors in Dubai

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ECONOMYNEXT –Colombo Port City (CPC) officials will head to Dubai to meet with investors on June 11, as Sri Lanka’s most ambitious economic zone looks for further foreign investments.

“We are meeting people in Dubai and the Middle East in order to demonstrate that Colombo Port City can be a supplementary zone of investment,” Harsha Amarasekara, Chairman, Colombo Port City Economic Commission (CPCEC), told Economynext.

The meeting will be organised by CPCEC, China Harbour Engineering Company, Consulate General of Sri Lanka – Dubai, and the Embassy of Sri Lanka – Abu Dhabi.

Foreign investor meetings have been a consistent factor in marketing CPC, and identifying potential markets has been a priority for CHEC and CPCEC.

“We have shortlisted and identified primary markets and we have combed the globe in that to say have a rationale behind why you would want to do certain things, a road show in a particular country,” Thulci Aluwihare, Deputy Managing Director, CHEC Port City Colombo, told Echelon Media.

“Once we kind of shortlist on that, then we aggressively go and market Port City, first Sri Lanka I should say, then Port City.”

“Sri Lanka is known in the world as a tourist destination, not essentially for a doing business capital. That is the narrative that we are trying to change,” he added.

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