President Anura Kumara Disanayake met with Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka – Mr. Akio Isomata this morning (Feb. 27) at the Presidential Secretariat.
During the meeting, the Ambassador officially invited President Disanayake to visit Japan and expressed appreciation for the new government’s policy framework.
The Japanese Ambassador stated that efforts have been made to include Sri Lanka in the recently launched security cooperation assistance program by the Government of Japan.
Extensive discussions were held regarding the ongoing and future initiatives of the joint Japan-Switzerland-South Africa program aimed at fostering national reconciliation among the northern communities affected by the 30-year conflict. Additionally, they reviewed the current status of Japanese investments in Sri Lanka.
Furthermore, the current status and progress of digital economic and airport investments were discussed. The Ambassador also reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s Digital Transformation Program, emphasizing the Government of Japan’s intention to invest in port and aviation-related projects, as well as digitalization initiatives in Sri Lanka.
The discussion was attended by Advisor to the President on Economic and Financial Affairs Dr. Duminda Hulangamuwa, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, First Secretary & Head of Economics and Development Cooperation Section OHASHI Kenji, and First Secretary & Head of Political Section MURATA Shinichi.
Sri Lanka Police have launched an investigation into a video going viral on social media, which depicts a female tuition teacher being escorted by police motorcycles and vehicles to an event organized by her.
Police Media Spokesperson SSP Buddhika Manathunga confirmed that the individual in question is a private tuition teacher who conducts classes for students preparing for the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination.
Addressing the controversy, SSP Manathunga explained that the Sri Lanka Police may provide officers and vehicles for specific public affairs — such as for filming a movie — but only after a thorough intelligence review of the request and its context, including the script.
He further clarified that police officers may also be deployed for public events such as musical shows or ticketed functions, but this is permitted only upon payment of a required fee.
In this particular case, the teacher is reported to have requested police support, claiming it was needed for a ceremony honoring students who had successfully passed the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination. The event was said to involve nearly 8,000 students and 35,000 parents.
However, preliminary investigations have revealed that the teacher may have used the police escort to boost her personal image, raising serious concerns about the misuse of state resources.
Police have since launched an inquiry into how the vehicles and officers were allocated for the event, and whether any police personnel were complicit in the unauthorized use of official resources, SSP Manathunga said.
According to reports, the SriLankan Airlines’ management has decided to immediately call up retired cabin crew members to service, following the ‘work to rule’ campaign launched by the Cabin Crew Members Association.
The SriLankan Airlines Cabin Crew Members Association launched a ‘work to rule’ campaign in April, citing several demands, including the reallocation of their onboard meal allowance.
In this backdrop, the national carrier is said to be operating with a reduced number of cabin crew which was further affected by the recent retirement of a significant number of experienced senior staff.
The staff were retired stating that individuals over the age of 60 would no longer be retained.
Efforts to extend the retirement age had been unsuccessful.
Even though they had directed a formal request to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Dec. 12, 2024, no response was received, reports add.
