The Attorney General’s Department has decided to file a case before a Singapore commercial court tomorrow demanding compensation for the environmental pollution caused by the Express Pearl ship which caught fire while while within Sri Lankan waters.
The Singapore flagged X-Press Pearl, which caught fire and began sinking off Sri Lanka’s western coast on May 20, 2021 was the worst maritime disaster to have struck the country. It has had a significant impact on Sri Lanka’s sensitive coastal environment, local communities and the economy and killed a large number of marine life.
The Attorney General’s Department is scheduled to file a case before the Singapore Commercial Court on Monday against the ownets of the ship demanding compensation for the environmental pollution that occurred after the ship had sunk.
The Indian High Commission in Colombo has issued a statement on the ‘Operation Sindoor’ launched by the Indian Armed Forces targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the statement, 09 sites have been targeted.
The statement further notes :
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non- escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”
“These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered. We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable.”
Former State Minister Prasanna Ranaweera has been remanded until May 19 by the Mahara Magistrate’s Court.
He had surrendered to the court earlier today (May 07).
(Previous news 2025 May 07 –11.00.a.m.)
Prasanna Ranaweera surrenders to court
Former State Minister Prasanna Ranaweera has surrendered to the Mahara Magistrate’s Court today (May 07).
Previously, an open warrant was issued for Ranaweera’s arrest over allegedly selling a plot of state-owned land in Kiribathgoda to a private party by forging documents.
Several persons including former Minister Mervyn Silva are currently in remand custody over the incident.
The National People’s Power (NPP) has won the most number of seats in the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), but has not obtained enough to form a majority. The party secured 48 seats with over 81,000 votes, which is about 36.9% of the total.
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) came in second with 29 seats, followed by the United National Party (UNP) with 13 seats. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) won five and four seats respectively. Meanwhile, Independent & minor parties have secured 20 seats.
The CMC is Sri Lanka’s largest and oldest local government body.