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Manusha arrested over alleged violation of employment agreement with Israel granted bail

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Manusha

Former Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara was arrested yesterday for allegedly violating an agreement between Sri Lanka and Israel for the benefit of persons known to him.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) arrested him, a day after the Colombo Magistrate’s Court dismissed his anticipatory bail application. There had never been a previous case of a lawmaker arrested in connection with violating an agreement with another country for his benefit.

The former MP was arrested after he arrived at the CID to furnish a statement as requested by the CIABOC. The ex-Minister was granted bail by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama.

The agreement with Israel was signed on 05 November, 2023, to send workers to Israel for employment in the agricultural sector. The signing of the agreement took place amidst the Gaza conflict, following Hamas cross border raid on southern Israel in the previous year.

The CIABOC has alleged that the then Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment abused his powers and arbitrarily selected certain individuals to be sent for employment to Israel, depriving others of the opportunity.

The Bribery Commission asserted that by doing so, the then Minister provided undue benefits to selected individuals and caused harm or loss to others, amounting to acts of corruption.

Having been last elected to Parliament at the 2020 general election from the Galle District, Nanayakkara switched his allegiance to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in May 2022 and then joined Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Cabinet after Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country. (SF)



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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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