News
Govt. to bring in new law to ‘promote religious harmony’
The Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs is drafting a new law to promote religious harmony, Minister Vidura Wickramanayaka has said.The Minister said that the new laws would require all religious institutions in Sri Lanka to register with the state.
Wickramanayaka said this would allow the government to track and monitor religious activities, and to intervene, if necessary, to prevent religious conflict.By registering religious institutions, the government would be able to better understand the religious landscape of Sri Lanka, and to take steps to prevent religious conflict, he said.
The Minister said new legislation was necessary due to various issues associated with the management of religious institutions.He would have a bill drafted to promote religious coexistence and maintaining peace to the Cabinet within the next few weeks, the Minister said.
Ministry Secretary Somaratne Vidanapathirana said that the proposed Bill would require owners and administrators of religious institutions to register their temples, mosques, Kovils, churches, and other places of worship.
The Ministry has already registered Buddhist temples and Catholic churches across the country, Vidanapathirana said The decision to register religious institutions had arisen from the need to address the increasing number of such establishments, with concerns raised about potential hidden agendas or associations with political ideologies, Vidanapathirana said.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has decided to send a fact-finding mission to Sri Lanka, from 22 to 28 January, to assess the damage caused by the recent Cyclone Ditwah.
The Director of the IMF’s Communications Department, Julie Kozack, also stated that the team will discuss related policy implications under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme.
She also underscored that this is a fact-finding mission aimed at enabling the team to gain a clearer understanding of the situation on the ground.
News
Countrywide police operation on Thursday nets 412 drunk drivers out of 554 arrests, including those wanted
Under a special police operation, aimed at preventing crime and drug-related offences, 412 drunk drivers were arrested during countrywide operations carried out on Thursday (15), police said.
Police also stated that 30,786 individuals were checked during the operations, resulting in the arrest of 554 persons on suspicion.
In addition, nine individuals were directly identified in connection with criminal offences, while 347 suspects with outstanding warrants and 217 suspects with open warrants were taken into custody. A further 51 individuals were arrested for reckless driving, and 4,884 persons were identified in connection with other traffic violations, according to the Police Media Division.
by Sujeewa Thathsara
Outgoing US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung met Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday at his office in Colombo, as she concludes her tenure in the country and prepares to return to the United States. The meeting was held as a farewell occasion, during which Premadasa expressed his gratitude and respect to Ambassador Chung for the support she extended to Sri Lanka during her service. He noted that the outstanding contributions she made as Ambassador will never be forgotten.
IMF fact-finding mission to visit Lanka from 22–28 Jan.
Countrywide police operation on Thursday nets 412 drunk drivers out of 554 arrests, including those wanted
Diplomatic thaw in Middle East sparks hope for Sri Lankan tea exports
US Ambassador Chung makes farewell call on Sajith
Lanka rises to 93rd in global passport rankings
Speaker holds bilateral talks in India
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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