News

Lanka to remain neutral in Russia-Ukrainian conflict

Published

4 years ago

2022/02/27

(PTI) The Government on Friday said it won’t take sides in the ongoing military conflict involving Russia and Ukraine, even as it admitted that the escalation of violence will have “severe” economic impact on the island nation, which is already facing an acute forex crisis.

“We are watching the situation (in Ukraine), but won’t take sides. Each can have their own reasons…,” Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage told the media.

He said the economic impact on Sri Lanka would be “severe” from the conflict. “We will have to pay more for our fuel and gas, our tea market will get affected,” Colombage said.

Colombage said there are only a handful of Sri Lankans in Ukraine and they have been asked to get in touch with the Sri Lanka Embassy in Turkish capital Ankara, which is concurrently accredited to Kyiv, for assistance.

Tea is the main export item from Sri Lanka to Russia. According to export figures, in 2020, the export value of tea to Russia was over USD 142 million.

Sri Lanka is facing its all-time worst foreign exchange crisis after the pandemic hit the nation’s earnings from tourism and remittances. By December last, the reserves position had plummeted to just one month’s imports or a little over USD 1 billion.

In recent months, the public has experienced a shortage of many essentials due to the foreign exchange crisis. Import restrictions to save dollars have threatened cooking gas and fuel supplies in addition to the looming power cuts.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry in a statement called upon all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint and work towards the immediate cessation of hostilities, in order to maintain peace, security and stability in the region.

“The Government of Sri Lanka is deeply concerned about the recent escalation of violence in Ukraine,” the statement said.

Sri Lanka emphasises the need for concerted efforts by all parties concerned to resolve the crisis through diplomacy and sincere dialogue, the statement added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions and launched an all-out attack on Ukraine on Thursday. He also warned other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to “consequences they had never seen”.

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News

Animal Welfare Draft Bill to be Gazetted

Published

20 hours ago

2026/06/24

Priyan

A specialists committee has been appointed by the Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation adhering to the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers dated 29.12.2025 for submitting appropriate recommendations analyzing the provisions of the draft bill formulation in regard to Animal Welfare.

Based on the recommendations of the said Committee, the Legal Draftsman has been instructed at the meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers held on 18.05.2026 to prepare the final bill on the animal welfare.

Wherefore, the Legal Draftsman has formulated the draft bill and the clearance of the Attorney General has been received in the connection.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation to publish the said draft bill in the
Government Gazette Notification and subsequently forward the same to the Parliament for its concurrence.

News

Legal provisions on marking voters using indelible ink during elections removed

Published

20 hours ago

2026/06/24

Priyan

Under the legal provisions for elections in this country since 2004, it is mandatory for voters who come to mark their votes to verify their identity through a valid identity card, and it is also mandatory for all such voters to be marked with an appropriate mark using indelible ink. The dual purpose of these two functions is to prevent a voter from voting more than once in a single election.

It has been observed that having to follow two different
methods at the same time to achieve the same objective hinders the efficiency of the duties performed at the polling stations and also incurs additional costs to the government.

Therefore, it has been deemed appropriate to remove the legal provisions regarding the use of indelible ink and marking the voter with the appropriate mark from all election acts.

Accordingly, the development activities of the province, as well as national security, will benefit. Therefore, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the
President to take necessary steps to remove the legal provisions

• Section 36 of the presidential Election Act, No 15 of 1981
• Section 38 of the Parliamentary Election Act, No 01 of 1981
• Section 36 of the Provincial Council Election Act, No 02 of 1988
• Section 53 A of the Local Government Elections Ordinance (262 Authority)
• Section 21 of the Referendum Act No 7 of 1981

News

Showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts

Published

20 hours ago

2026/06/24

Priyan

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 24 JUNE 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 24 June 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

Several spells of showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 2.00 p.m.

Fairly strong winds about (30-40) kmph can be expectedat times over the Western slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Southern provinces and in Trincomalee district.

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