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Cardinal cautions against blindly following Western laws on child discipline

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Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith

Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has cautioned that certain Western laws on child discipline may not be suitable for Sri Lanka.

Addressing the 150th Jubilee Celebration Mass organised by the alumni and teachers to mark the 150th anniversary of St. John the Baptist College, Nagoda, Kandana on Thursday, the Cardinal warned that such laws could create a divide between children, parents and teachers.

He cited a case in which a teacher was reportedly arrested for advising a student on their appearance, highlighting the unintended consequences of rigid legal frameworks.

The prelate urged education authorities to safeguard the respect and trust that underpin relationships between teachers, parents, and students, stressing that not all Western approaches aligned with Sri Lanka’s cultural values and social norms.

Cardinal Ranjith said that some laws of the Western world regarding the implementation of the proposed bill seeking to ban corporal punishment for children were completely unsuitable for Sri Lanka.

He pointed out that the punishment of children to guide them on the right path should be allowed and that not all the laws of the Western world should be imitated in Sri Lanka.

Cardinal Ranjith further stated:  “This conflict between the child and the parents has created a rift, and how will the parents and teachers cope? If children misbehave in schools, the teacher can tell the child not to grow his hair that long and cut it. If that is said, the child can go to the police and complain that his or her teacher had caused him mental distress and the teacher can be arrested for saying this. That is wrong. We cannot accept this.”

By Norman Palihawadane ✍️



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Cabinet nod to appoint Mrs. Tharani Kumaradasa to the Post of Commissioner of Cooperative Development / Cooperative Society Registrar

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The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal
furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development to appoint Mrs. Tharani Kumaradasa, a Grade I officer in Sri Lanka Administrative Service, serving in a post of Senior Assistant Secretary at the Ministry of Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development to the post of Commissioner of Cooperative Development / Cooperative Society Registrar

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Cabinet nod to hold 28th joint Asia Pacific Regional Social Workshop from 18-21 November in Sri Lanka

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It has been planned to conduct the 28th Joint Asia-Pacific Regional Social Workshop from 18th November 2025 to 21st November 2025 in Sri Lanka, and 13 local representatives and 104 foreign representatives from 30 countries will participate in the said summit.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security,
and Community Empowerment to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Social Development Institute and the Society of Professionals engaged in Sri Lankan social services to conduct the aforementioned workshop in Sri Lanka and obtain the necessary institutional support to
conduct the said summit.

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Establishment of multi-modal transport hubs

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As per the current national policy of the government to make public transport in Sri Lanka efficient and streamlined, the necessity of establishing multi-modal transport hubs with required facilities has been identified to enable efficient public transport services to be initiated from transit cities and main cities through the interconnection between transport modes.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved in principle the proposal presented by the Acting Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban Development to develop the following multi-modal transport hubs on a priority basis, with the objective of upgrading the interconnection of transport modes such as buses, trains, and taxi services by integrating bus stands and railway stations identified as having a growing passenger circulation on the island, subject to a formal feasibility study.


• Kandy Multimodal Transport Hub (Construction work has already been started under world bank financing)

• Anuradhapura (South) Multimodal Transport Hub (Constructions are about to be completed under the Anuradhapura combined urban development project)

• Anuradhapura (North) Multimodal Transport Hub (feasibility study has been performed and preliminary work completed)

• Multimodal Transport Hub centered around the Fort Railway Station (as proposed by the ComTrans Master Plan, which has been prepared for urban transport in Colombo and suburbs)

• Moratuwa Multimodal Transport Center (proposed by the ComTrans Master Plan)

• Ragama Multimodal Transport Center ( identified through a study conducted by the Japan International Coorperation Agency)

• Avissawella, Galle, Katunayake, Kurunegala Multimodal Transport Centers (identified according to the urban plans of the Urban Development Authority)

• Gampaha Multimodal Transport Center ((identified according to the urban plans of the Urban Development Authority and railway electrification of the Colombo Suburban Railway Project)

• Katunayake Multimodal Transport Hub (identified under the Airport Development Plan)

• Kaluthara Multimodal Transport Center (identified as a proposal of the District coordination Committee)

• Kankasanthure Multimodal Transport Center(identified according to the urban plans of the Urban Development Authority)

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