President Ranil Wickremesinghe spent last week participating in several international conferences, giving Sri Lanka diplomatic recognition.
Sri Lanka, which had been pushed aside in front of the international community, is moving forward with the intervention of President Wickremesinghe. The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Summit was held under the patronage of the President and Foreign Ministers of 28 states participated.
The President visited Batticaloa during the weekend after attending the conference held by Environment Ministers from many countries. The Galle Dialogue; International Maritime Conference was held on Thursday. A year ago, the country which was sidelined from the international community and pushed into an era of queues, is coming forward in the international community due to the program of President Wickremesinghe.
The confidence of the international community was won through this.
Good advice
The President gave good advice to his followers in Batticaloa. It was asking them not to use banners and cutout posters using his image in their events and activities.
President Wickremesinghe, who came to his office on Monday, discussed with his colleagues the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that was drawing world attention. When anything happens to world superpowers there will always be an effect on countries such as Sri Lanka. The first who drew attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was Director General of Government Information Dinith Chinthaka Karunaratne.
President Wickremesinghe: “It is not yet possible to say how far this conflict will go. But this affects the fuel and gas prices in the world.”
MP Wajira Abeywardena: “Yes, fuel prices have already increased in the World Market. There was some decline in fuel prices in the past two weeks, but now it has gone up.”
Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka said, “When the price of fuel increases, the price of goods also increases indirectly. This problem affects our people.”
“Mr. President, tell the people about this. Because the people need to know that there are things we can control and things we can’t.” Everyone approved what President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake said.
President Wickremesinghe replied that he would make a statement about this in the Cabinet. The President, who asked to give it to the media, outlined Sri Lanka’s position regarding the Israeli-Palestinian war to the Cabinet meeting that morning, and the impact it would have on Sri Lanka.
SLIIT Kandy branch
The President went to Kandy in the evening to launch the Kandy branch of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT). The President also joined an observation tour of the seven-storey university campus. He did not fail to have a friendly conversation with the students present. Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka was also present.
The President spoke about the Bambalapitiya railway flyover at a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Highways on Tuesday. Citing media reports, President Wickremesinghe ordered that the flyover be repaired immediately.
The President asked the officials there about the Central Expressway and the Katunayake Port City Expressway. After the officials pointed out to the President that there is no money to build the two entrances and exits of the expressway, the President assigned the task of solving the problem to Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka.
Apart from that, the construction of three flyovers which have been suspended was also discussed. President Wickremesinghe assigned Ratnayaka to solve the problem and accordingly he summoned the officials and gave instructions.
The “Colombo Air Symposium – 2023” began with the participation of local and foreign intellectuals under the patronage of President’s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka. Many intellectuals from countries such as the US, UK, Canada, Malaysia, India and China participated in this event. Sagala Ratnayaka joined this event on the instructions of the President.
The inaugural session of the Student Parliament of Sivali Central College Ratnapura, was held at the Presidential Secretariat, presided over by President Ranil Wickremesinghe. It was held following a request to the President when the students of Sivali College visited the Presidential Secretariat earlier.
President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, who knew that Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and other parliamentary officials would attend the ceremony, got to know that the Speaker’s birthday was also on that day.
He immediately telephoned Deputy Secretary General of the Parliament, Chaminda Kularatne and asked, “Today is the Speaker’s birthday, isn’t it?”
After getting it confirmed, the President’s Secretary immediately brought a cake and called the Speaker who came to the ceremony to the President’s office saying he had an urgent message.
The Speaker was surprised to see a cake in President Wickremesinghe’s room and the Speaker cut the cake and presented it to the President amid the wishes of those present. Then they held the inaugural session with the students of Sivali College and the President instructed the students to submit draft proposals regarding the needs of the students and forward them to the Student Parliament.
NLB marks 60th anniversary
The first copy of the lottery issued to mark the 60th anniversary of the National Lotteries Board (NLB) was presented to the President that evening.
A number of Foreign Ministers, including the South African Foreign Minister and the United Kingdom’s Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific Region, who were in Sri Lanka to participate in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Summit held talks with the President.
The President instructed Secretary Saman Ekanayake to help the people affected by the floods in the Matara and Galle districts and work for the reconstruction of the destroyed roads. The President went to the BMICH, Colombo on Wednesday to participate in the National Information Technology and Business Process Management Professional Exhibition.
The Kalabhooshana State Awards ceremony was also held on the same day. Around 200 artists from all over the island received awards from the President at the ceremony at the National Youth Centre, Maharagama.
Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, who was in Sri Lanka to participate in the Indian Ocean Rim Association Summit, met President Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Secretariat.
Three agreements regarding relations between the two countries and the development of cooperation between the two countries were also signed.
A group of Ministers met the President on Thursday afternoon.
The President, who went to Galle that morning to join the Galle Dialogue – International Maritime Conference, expressed his views on the protection of civilisation in the Asian region including India and Sri Lanka, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian war. He said that it is impossible to say what the future of this war will be.
Following the conference, the President who came to his office amid travel fatigue met a group of Ministers including Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara. Minister Harin Fernando said with a smile, “Some people are saying that it is going to end – the two of us holding ministerial positions.”
“In vain, you have got scared. First of all, read the court verdict about MP Naseer Ahamed,” the President said looking at the two MPs.
MP Wajira Abeywardena, joining the conversation said, “Naseer Ahamed has not answered the charge sheet sent to him by the party. He has just taken time to answer it. He should answer that the charge sheet against him is wrong. It is because he did not do that that the Court gave that verdict.”
Prof. Ashu Marasinghe: “The IMF says that they don’t know about the Chinese debt relief,”
Sagala Ratnayaka: “Yes, they have not been told that. We talked to China and they have agreed to give us relief. Agreements were signed after the negotiations were over.”
Minister Prasanna Ranatunga: “The Opposition says that the IMF will not give the second tranche.”
Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya: “We cannot burden the people. But we have given suggestions to increase income. They cannot reject them, so they have to release the second tranche.”
It was revealed that the post of Environment Minister, which was vacated by Naseer Ahamed, has been constitutionally vested under the President. After the President’s visit to China, a decision is to be taken on whether a new Minister will be appointed for this subject or not. It was also discussed at length about the increase in the price of fuel and other goods due to the war in the Middle East.
That evening, the President met the UNP Central Committee to talk about the change of several positions in the party. The President informed the Central Committee about a proposal that the former Deputy Leader of the party, Ravi Karunanayake should be given the post of Secretary or Deputy Leader.
The opinion of the majority was that there should be no change. By then the people who came to the Management Committee meeting waiting on the lower floor of the President’s office had been informed that the position of General Secretary and Deputy Leader were going to be changed and to go to the President’s office soon.
The news spread like wildfire throughout the President’s office, but the committee meeting ended without any change. Then the group came to the Management Committee meeting where General Secretary Range Bandara informed the President about the party convention.
It was Range Bandara who informed the President about all the plans for poster and banner of the convention.
President Wickremesinghe called Foreign Ministry officials that day and instructed them to ensure the safety of the Sri Lankans in Israel.
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that officials should prepare and implement urban development plans without inconveniencing the public. The Premier was speaking at the Maharagama Regional Coordination Committee meeting on Thursday. He said that the Urban Development Authority (UDA) should prepare city plans giving priority to public convenience and development.
The Prime Minister pointed out that the UDA should properly plan schools, hospitals, temples and public housing. He said the purchase of land or the allocation of land for various projects is not a duty assigned to the UDA.
Premier Gunawardena also took into account the situation caused by the invasive spread of Salvinia in the Boralesgamuwa Lake and advised officials to follow the example of the project being carried out by the Colombo Municipal Council using nanotechnology and to use it for the Boralesgamuwa Lake with the help of the universities.
Winning program
A meeting was held at a hotel in Colombo recently between some popular cricket stars connected to politics and the representatives of the new political alliance. Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Nimal Lanza and Sugeeshwara Bandara were present. They had discussed at length about sports and the new political movement. The defeat of the Sri Lankan cricket team had also been discussed.
“Many people have formed alliances and will continue to do so. We can see that you are always talking about your alliance. Don’t make it just another alliance. If that happens, the people will reject it faster than it was set up,” said a former cricketer looking at Lanza and Anura Yapa.
Anura Yapa: “No, we have inflated characters for a very long time and the people have rejected it.”
Lanza: “This time we will present a winning a program, we will work for it as a team.”
A former cricketer representing the Southern Province said, “We are impressed with your work schedule and we will extend the support of our people as well.”
UNP Chairman MP Wajira Abeywardena arrived at the SLBC premises on Tuesday morning to participate in the Subharathi program broadcast on the SLBC. After the program ended, Wajira came directly to a private funeral parlour in Borella to pay his last respects to veteran actor Jackson Anthony who left an indelible imprint in the hearts of thousands of people.
When Wajira arrived at the scene, a large crowd had gathered to pay their last respects to Anthony. Wajira who entered the private funeral parlour, first met Jackson Anthony’s wife Kumari Munasinghe and expressed his condolences, condolences of President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the condolences of his party.
He met MP Uddika Premarathna at the parlour. Later, while two of them were engaged in a conversation, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa also joined them to pay his last respects to Anthony.
Mahinda Rajapaksa paid his last respects and took a seat at the parlour. As Wajira was standing close to former President Rajapaksa, he did not fail to speak to him. They spoke about Anthony’s service to the arts of the country at length. Later they left recalling the memory of Anthony to the journalists who were present.
Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa also visited the private funeral parlour in Borella to pay his last respects to actor Anthony. Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Private Secretary Sugeeshwara Bandara was also present.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa shared his grief with Jackson Anthony’s wife Kumari Munasinghe and his children. At that time, many artists who were present spoke to Gotabaya Rajapaksa and actress Nilmini Tennakoon was also there. “How are you Nilmini, where is Madhu?” asked former President Rajapaksa. Nilmini smiled and did not answer.
After the opening of the Kandy branch of Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology, Sagala Ratnayake, Wajira Abeywardena, Prof. Kithsiri Liyanage of the Peradeniya University, Prof. Lalith Gamage who came to the President’s House, Kandy engaged in a discussion. The President said that it is important to start a university branch in the Jaffna district. The group discussed it for a long time.
Two complaints have been forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Department on the instructions of Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella regarding a questionable company that has been the subject of intense discussion these days regarding the supply of medicines to Sri Lanka.
It has been alleged that the company has supplied drugs using fake documents from the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA). When the heads of institutions of the Ministry of Health, including the NMRA, State Pharmaceutical Corporation and the Medical Supply Division were called to the Ministry recently, they had been severely reprimanded by the Minister. The officers had no answers to the Minister’s accusations.
