News

Australia continues to support Sri Lanka’s National Defence College

Published

3 years ago

2020/09/13

Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka David Holly and Australian Defence Adviser Group Captain Sean Unwin presented 600 books to the Commandant of the Sri Lankan National Defence College, Major General (Retd) Amal Karunasekara last week.

At the handover ceremony, High Commissioner Holly said: “The Australian Department of Defence is pleased to continue its support to Sri Lanka’s establishment of a National Defence College, which will provide professional military education to senior officers from all three services.

“Australia has been involved with the National Defence College since its inception when then Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull visited Sri Lanka in 2017 and pledged Australia’s support for this important institution”.

The 600 books consist of 173 different titles covering subjects relating to international relations, strategy, economics, politics and history, and will assist in establishing the college’s library prior to the start of academic courses in 2021.

In the early stages of the college’s establishment, Australia seconded a Royal Australian Navy Captain to support curriculum development staff to design the strategic studies courses offered by the college.

Currently, as a part of ongoing support to the college, the Australian Department of Defence is sponsoring a Sri Lankan Navy officer to study a Masters of National Security Policy at the Australian National University’s National Security College for 18 months.

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Stay on course and don’t go back to the past – Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy

Published

3 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

Former Governor of the Central Bank delivering the keynote address at a high profile Webinar hosted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (24) said that Sri Lanka must implement the structural reforms proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) without relaxing like in the past or else we will be in a deeper economic mess.

The webinar was titled ‘What is next for Sri Lanka in the wake of the IMF programme’

News

Sustainable economic development goals cannot be achieved unless attention is paid to mitigating climate change – Sagala Ratnayake

Published

3 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake said sustainable economic development goals cannot be accomplished without taking steps to mitigate climate change.

He said this while participating in the 10,000 sapling planting program organized by the LEO Youth Vision 2048 Club and the LEO Club at the Royal College, Colombo on Thursday (23rd).

This program was organized in view of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s birthday, which is today (24), and the required plants were distributed to the main schools of the Colombo District.

News

SF claims thousands of police and military personnel leaving

Published

15 hours ago

2023/03/24

Thilina Walpola

By Saman Indrajith

Thousands of police and military personnel had left the services recently as they did not want to carry out illegal orders, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told Parliament yesterday. According to the war-winning army commander 200 policemen have resigned during the past two months and 25,000 soldiers have left the army during the last two years.

“We urged the law enforcement and military officials not to follow illegal orders. We will reinstate them with back pay,” he said.

Fonseka also urged the President and the government MPs not to take people for fools.

“Sri Lanka owes 55 billion dollars to the world. Ranil’s plan is to borrow another seven billion during the next four years. So, in four years we will owe 62 billion to the world.

Ranil and his ministers ask us what the alternative to borrowing is. These are the people who destroyed the economy and society. They must leave. Then, we will find an alternative and develop the country,” he said, adding that the IMF loans had made crises in other nations worse.

“Ranil says that by 2025, we will have a budget surplus as in Japan, Germany and South Korea. These countries are economic power houses, and this comparison is ludicrous.”