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Maj Gen Upul Perera re-elected as SLESA President

The Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Association was held on Sunday, 30 April 2023 at Eagle’s Lakeside, Attidiya amidst nearly 550 members gathered from 48 affiliated associations and Maj Gen Upul Perera, was unanimously re-elected as the President of the Association for the fifth consecutive year. Along with him, others who were elected for the Board of Management were Major General Mahinda Ambanpola as Vice President (Army), SA Ariyaratne (Master Chief Petty Officer) as Vice President (Navy), Wing Commander Malinda Wijenayake as Vice President (Air Force), Lt Col Ajith Siyambalapitiya as Secretary General and Major Shanthilal Kankanamge as the Treasurer of the association.
Sri Lanka Ex -Servicemen’s Association (SLESA) is the largest single veteran organization of retirees of Tri Forces, headquartered at Bristol Street, Colombo 1. SLESA was formed in 1944, with an objective of fostering the spirit of comradeship and esprit de corps among all ranks of Ceylon Ex – Servicemen who served in world wars one 1914 -1918) & two ( 1938 – 1945) in order to provide assistance & promote their welfare. The active membership of SLESA, both male & female, is well over 50,000 at present. The SLESA was incorporated by Act No 8 of 1976 of Parliament and it was a much significant recognition to the Association. This was again amended to suit the requirements as Act No 42 of 1992. In line with the Parliamentary Act, the SLESA is governed by its own rules constituted at the General Assembly.
Elected President, Major General Upul Perera has served the Sri Lanka Army as a commissioned officer for nearly 35 years and has held numerous strategic appointments in the Army prior to his retirement as the Deputy Chief of Staff in December 2010. He is a member of the Corps of Electrical & Mechanical Engineers and has done his engineering and management studies locally as well as overseas and possesses a vast knowledge in both fields.
After retirement, he joined the Private Sector and is currently serving as a Consultant for a leading company in the Island. He has also contributed his services as the President of the Institute of Management of Sri Lanka, President of United Nations Association of Sri Lanka and President of Sri Lanka Amateur Baseball and Softball Association and currently is serving as the President of Institute of Automotive Engineers of Sri Lanka in addition to his appointment as the President of Sri Lanka Ex-Servicemen’s Association. He has also functioned as a Director / Councilor of Asian Association of Management Organizations and functions, at present, as a Council Member of International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies.
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President and representatives of IMF discuss progress of EFF

A comprehensive discussion regarding the progress of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took place on Thursday (06) at the Presidential Secretariat, between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and the IMF delegation.
The current government has already reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF on the third review regarding the extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of USD3 billion.
The details of this review are expected to be presented to the International Monetary Fund’s Board of Directors by the end of this month. In this regard, discussions were held regarding the progress and the government’s involvement in continuing the program moving forward.
Once the approval is granted by the IMF Executive Board, Sri Lanka is expected to release the fourth tranche of the extended loan, amounting to 333 million dollars.
The discussion was also attended by IMF Executive Director Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Alternate Executive Director Dr. P. K. G. Harischandra, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwadana, and Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe.
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New Commanders of the Tri-Forces meet the President

The newly appointed Commander of the Tri-Forces met with Commander-in-Chief, President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Thursday (6th) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat.
The meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo, the new Army Commander; Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, the new Navy Commander and Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe, the new Air Force Commander.
Following tradition, the new commanders formally met with the President after assuming their duties. During the meeting, they also presented the President with a commemorative token.
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Musk reveals ‘crazy waste’ of USAID funds in Sri Lanka

USD 7.9 mn spent on teaching Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”
USAID has spent $7.9 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language”, Elon Musk who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said in a post on X on Thursday.
Musk called it a “Crazy waste of your tax money!”
Musk’s criticism came with a detailed breakdown of USAID’s spending across various countries, which he argued reflects misguided priorities. According to a document Musk shared, USAID has funded a range of projects globally, including $20 million for a new Sesame Street show in Iraq, $4.5 million to “combat disinformation” in Kazakhstan, and $6 million to transform digital spaces to reflect feminist democratic principles.
The list also included $1.5 million for art projects promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities and $2 million for sex changes and LGBT activism in Guatemala. $10 million worth of USAID-funded meals, allegedly ended up in the hands of an al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, the document states.
Other USAID programmes include $25 million for Deloitte to promote green transportation in Georgia, $6 million for tourism development in Egypt, and $2.5 million to foster inclusion in Vietnam. The documents also pointed to $5 million awarded to EcoHealth Alliance, a group linked to bat virus research at the Wuhan lab, and $20 million for an organisation tied to what Musk described as a “key player” in the Russiagate impeachment inquiry.
Further funds were allocated for various LGBT-related initiatives worldwide, including $5.5 million for LGBT activism in Uganda, $6.3 million for men who have sex with men in South Africa, $3.9 million for LGBT causes in the western Balkans, and $6 million for advancing LGBT issues globally. Additionally, $2 million was allocated to promote LGBT equality through entrepreneurship in Latin America, while $1.5 million was designated for LGBT advocacy in Jamaica.
The data also highlighted spending closer to home, with $1.2 million going to help the African Methodist Episcopal Church Service and Development Agency in Washington, D.C., build a 440-seat auditorium. A further $1.3 million was provided to Arab and Jewish photographers, while $1.1 million supported an Armenian LGBT group.
Musk criticised other expenditures as well, including $3.9 million for artisanal gold mining in the Amazon and $500,000 aimed at solving sectarian violence in Israel just days before the October 7 Hamas attack.
Attention was also drawn to USAID’s $150 billion “whole-of-agency” climate strategy, which outlines efforts to build an “equitable world” while pursuing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
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