Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa yesterday (13) announced a public protest against the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution on 24 September, in Colombo.

Premadasa made the announcement while addressing a meeting of Samagi Jana Balawegaya Local Government representatives and electoral organisers, from the Colombo District, at the Opposition Leader’s Office .

The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) recently said in Jaffna that it located 31 people from the 23,352 complaints received over the years.The OMP said that thousands of other cases remained at various stages of its process.

The OMP chairman Mahesh Katulanda said so addressing the media briefing, alongside board members Thambiah Yogarajah and Mirak Raheem.

Of the 23,352 applications received, 16,966 have been taken up for consideration after the exclusion of complaints relating to members of the armed forces and duplicate applications. Preliminary investigations have been completed in 9,819 of those cases, around 42 per cent of the total complaints originally received. Around 2,000 applications requiring further investigation have been forwarded to the office’s investigations division, of which approximately 800 were being pursued through letters to relevant institutions, he said.

The office did not set out the criteria used to exclude applications from consideration, nor explain how cases are filtered through the stages of its process.

The OMP said 7,726 complaints had been referred to the Office for Reparations for interim assistance, with 5,540 applicants having received payments. Katulanda said the 200,000 rupee payment was not compensation but livelihood assistance for dependents of missing persons, and that the government and the Ministry of Justice had appointed a special committee to examine the question of compensation, with a decision on any mechanism to follow its recommendations.

The 59th Anniversary Academic Sessions of the Ceylon College of Physicians will be held from 16th to 19th of September 2026 at Shangri-La, Colombo. Professor Namal Wijesinghe, the president of the college and the council of the Ceylon College of physicians said that  the sessions bring together experienced physicians, academics, researchers, postgraduate trainees and other healthcare professionals from all over the globe. The programme provides opportunities to discuss recent advances in medicine, emerging challenges in healthcare and developments that have the potential to improve patient care.

An important feature of the College’s academic vision is the strengthening of relationships with international professional colleges and medical institutions. The Royal College of Physicians of London, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, European Federation of Internal Medicine, College of Physicians of Malaysia, Association of Physicians of India, Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine, Association of Physicians of Bangladesh and Society of Internal Medicine of Nepal are officially collaborating with the Ceylon College of Physicians in organising 59th Anniversary Academic Sessions.

 These international collaborations provide opportunities for the exchange of expertise, collaborative research, professional development and exposure to different approaches to healthcare and medical education. Interaction with international colleagues can broaden professional perspectives, encourage research collaboration and create opportunities for academic and career development.

At the same time, Sri Lankan physicians have much to contribute to the international medical community through their clinical experience, research and expertise.

The Anniversary Academic Sessions also highlight the importance of research in advancing healthcare. The presentation and discussion of research findings encourage evidence-based practice and provide researchers with opportunities to establish new academic collaborations. Encouraging young physicians to engage in research and scholarship remains an important investment in the future of the profession.