Protesters prevent Wigneswaran from entering NPC

Sampanthan says effective substantial devolution a must

The historic Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord that mooted a permanent solution to the decades-long-ethnic conflict in the island nation was signed on July 29, thirty years ago. Veteran Tamil leader and Leader of Opposition in the Sri Lankan Parliament R. Sampanthan recalls how the then Government and TULF, the main Tamil party, had marathon negotiations for 20 days during 1986 that brought about the 13th Amendment of Constitution. “The Tamils’ struggle for self rule had been in the political arena

30 Jul, 2017

Prasad Kariyawasam appointed new Foreign Secretary

Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the US, Prasad Kariyawasam has been appointed as the new Foreign Secretary. Current?Foreign Secretary Esala Weerakoon has been appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism Development. Kariyawasam joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1981 and has served as a diplomat in Geneva, Riyadh, Washington, New Delhi and New York. He also held the position of Director General of the Economic Affairs Division at the Foreign Ministry and served as an Additional Secre

29 Jul, 2017

President orders more relief for drought affected areas

President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered more relief to be sent to the drought affected areas. Over 1 million people have been affected by the drought, with the North and East the most affected. Last month the United Nations said the drought followed by floods had slashed agricultural production in Sri Lanka, leaving some 900,000 people facing food insecurity. Production of rice, the country?s staple food, is forecast to drop almost 40 percent to 2.7 million tonnes in 2017, the U.N. Food an

30 Jul, 2017