News
Over 1,700 promoted to coincide with Navy 70th anniversary
The Navy Commander participating in the flag blessing ceremony(pic courtesy Navy hq)
Navy Commander Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne has promoted 1,729 personnel to coincide with the Navy’s 70th anniversary, which falls today (9).
As part of the anniversary celebrations, a wide range of events are being held in every naval command, giving prominence to time-honoured naval traditions and religious events. On the side-lines of these celebrations, capital ships of the Sri Lanka Navy will be brought to the anchorage off the Galle Face Green, from 09th to 13th December, for viewing of the public .
Commencing the religious segment of the 70th anniversary celebrations the ‘Kanchuka Puja’ and ‘Flag Blessing’ ceremonies were held at the Ruwanwelisaya and sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura on 12th and 13th November. During the ceremony, 87 flags including the National Flag, Buddhist Flag, Naval Ensign and flags of naval commands, establishments, ships and craft received the blessings of the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi. Meanwhile Gilanpasa was offered at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy on 08th December and alms would be offered to the Maha Sangha today (09th December).
Further, an all-night Pirith chanting ceremony has been organized on 27th December to transfer merits on fallen naval war heroes and invoke blessings on the Navy. This meritorious event will be followed by an alms giving for 70 members of Maha Sangha, on 28th December.
The remaining religious events of other faiths are set to be held at St. Lucia’s Cathedral, Colombo, Fort, Jummah Masjid, Chatham Street and Shri Ponnambalawaneswaram Kovil, Colombo.
Accepting deposits from political parties and independent groups who intend to contest the forthcoming Local Authorities Election ended at 12noon today [19].
Deposits were accepted at respective District Secretariats from 3rd March 2025.
The Elections Commission has announced that the deadline for the accepting of nominations for the LA poll is set to conclude at 12:00 noon tomorrow (20).
It has been reported that the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon has appeared before the Matara Magistrate’s Court this morning (19),
The former IGP had been evading arrest after the Matara Magistrate’s court had ordered his arrest regarding a shooting incident that took place in front of the W15 Hotel Pelena, Weligama, Matara, in 2023.
The government has begun recovering funds obtained by former Lands and Land Development, Environment and Wildlife Resources Minister SM Chandrasena for the Janatha Lanka Chilli Marketing Limited (JLCML), which he headed, Parliament was informed yesterday.
Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation Minister Namal Karunaratne said that as the Chairman of JLCML, Chandrasena had obtained a loan of Rs. 1,275,000 from the Mihintale Govijana Seva Bank in 2001.
The principal of the loan had not been repaid until the end of last year. “After we came to power, we demanded that the loan be settled. Then, we discovered that the interest on the loan had not been paid for the past 24 years, and attempts had been made to have the loan written off. We stopped that and are now in the process of recovering the interest of Rs. 1,975,233 on the loan,” Karunaratne said.
Karunaratne added that JLCML was registered as a company with the Registrar of Companies on March 21, 2001. As Chairman of the company, Chandrasena requested a loan of Rs. 10 million on April 19, 2001, for the purpose of purchasing chillies from farmers in 12 farmer colonies in the Mihintale Agrarian Service area.
The request was approved by the Mihintale Agrarian Service Committee on the same day and referred to the Anuradhapura District Agrarian Operations Committee, which approved it on April 23, 2001. However, the Agriculture Development Commissioner General recommended that a loan of Rs. 1.2 million would suffice for this purpose. JLCML took the loan and failed to repay it until the end of last year. When the matter was raised, the principal was paid, and we are now in the process of recovering the interest that was not paid for the past 24 years,” Karunaratne added.
By Saman Indrajith
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