News
Wildlife Dept. bureaucracy standing in way of whale watching exposed
By Ifham Nizam
Whales were neither disturbed nor harmed by tourists, Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said yesterday.
Minister Ranatunga called for the lifting of restrictions imposed by the Wildlife Department on boat owners who took tourists on whale watching at Mirissa.
The Wildlife Department has recently imposed restrictions on whale watching vessels off the coast of Mirissa, according to reports.
Accordingly, Minister Ranatunga summoned the representatives of the Mirissa Tourist Hotel Owners’ Association to Colombo for a discussion and also summoned the relevant officials of the Wildlife Department.
The owners of the Mirissa whale watching boats raised their concerns and pointed out that wildlife officials only allowed whale watching after 2 pm.
Wildlife officials responded by saying that restrictions were due to numerous issues including a shortage of staff.
The Matara District Secretary was contacted by Minister Ranatunga and requested that 10 employees recruited under the Job Point programme be made available to the Wildlife Department.
The District Secretary complied with the request. Improvements to facilities at the Mirissa Fisheries Harbour for local and foreign whale watchers were also discussed at length.
State Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, who was also present, discussed with Minister Ranatunga the action that needed to be taken in that regard. Accordingly, it was decided to convene a meeting of Ministers and officials of the Ministries of Tourism, Fisheries and Wildlife to expedite the resolution of issues related to whale watching in the area. The Minister instructed the Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism to take necessary follow-up steps.
(Ms.) Nina P. Cainglet, Ambassador of the Philippines to Sri Lanka based in Dhaka, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya at the Prime Minister’s Office on May 16, 2025.
The Prime Minister welcomed Ambassador Cainglet and extended her congratulations on the new appointment. The discussion focused on expanding cooperation in trade and tourism, with both sides expressing their commitment to exploring new opportunities in these key sectors. The meeting also addressed consular matters relating to the Filipino community in Sri Lanka. In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured continued dialogue and necessary support on relevant issues.
The meeting was attended by Ms. Judienne Capiz, Vice Consul of the Embassy of the Philippines in Dhaka, Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Prime Minister; Ms. Sagarika Bogahawatta, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister; Ms. S.S. Premawardhane, Additional Secretary, Bilateral Political Affairs (East); and M.R. Keegel, Deputy Director, Southeast Asia & Central Asia Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division].
The Bribery Commission on Friday filed a corruption case against former Investment Promotion Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena and ex-BOI Director General Jayantha Edirisinghe, accusing them of misusing public cash for a lavish newspaper ad campaign back in 2014.
They stand accused of siphoning Rs. 1.7 million in state funds to publish 11 newspaper supplements marking the second inauguration anniversary of then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa on November 19, 2014.
According to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), the move amounted to a clear breach of anti-graft laws, with five formal charges now filed before the Colombo High Court.
The case, centred around alleged misuse of Board of Investment (BOI) funds, is backed by 21 pieces of documentary evidence and testimony from 15 witnesses.
The Bribery Commission maintains that the ad blitz had no official sanction and led to a direct loss of Rs. 1,748,877.76 to the state.
Inspector General of Police T.M.W. Deshabandu Tennakoon is set to face formal questioning tomorrow (May 19) over serious allegations of misconduct and abuse of power, parliamentary sources said on Friday.
A special committee appointed to investigate the claims will commence formal proceedings next week, following several rounds of preliminary discussions held within the parliamentary complex in recent weeks.
The IGP has been officially notified to appear before the committee and is expected to face the inquiry for the first time at 2:00 PM in Committee Room No. 8.
The committee, which met again on Thursday (15) to finalise arrangements, is investigating allegations that Tennakoon misused his official powers in a manner deemed severe and improper.
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