The Indonesian Ambassador in Sri Lanka has offered to provide support to combat the white fly infestation affecting coconut plantations in the island.

During a meeting on June 17 with Minister of Plantations – Samantha Widyaratne, Tobing has said that the techniques and remedies used by Indonesia to combat the whitefly disease and other pests spreading through coconut cultivations can be provided to fight the disease that in Sri Lanka.

The ambassador agreed to provide support by providing methods and technology adopted by Indonesia to combat the Whitefly disease spreading in coconut cultivation and to develop coconut cultivation, according to a government statement.

It was also agreed during the meeting to do coconut cultivation on a 1 – 5 hectare area using hybrid fertilizers used in Indonesia as a pilot project.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe says he believed Russia was not isolated on the international stage, noting the country’s continued interactions across the Asian region and the BRICs community.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Valdai Discussion Club in St. Petersburg, Russia, Mr. Wickremesinghe highlighted the importance of BRICS, the economic and political bloc consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

He noted that Sri Lanka applied for the BRICS membership during his Presidency, recognising the bloc’s emergence as a dominant global economic force.

He added that for countries like Sri Lanka, which are not part of the developed, Western world, BRICS presents an important platform that has been missing since the collapse of the Non-Aligned Movement,” the former President added.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that a second-year student at the Faculty of Technology of the Sabaragamuwa University committed suicide recently due to ragging, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has stated.

Charith Dilshan, a student studying at the Sabaragamuwa University, died by suicide on April 29.

Subsequently, the CID launched an investigation into the incident.

As a result of the investigation, a group of senior students suspected to be involved in the incident have been arrested and are currently being held in remand custody.

Officers have also recorded statements from several factions, including the university administration of the Sabaragamuwa University.

According to the findings of the investigation thus far, it has been revealed that the student committed suicide due to ragging.

It has also been reported that the student was not suffering from depression or any mental illness, the CID said.

Additionally, investigations have revealed that some senior officials of the university administration were taking steps to prevent details of the ragging incidents within the university from becoming public.

So far this year, more than 30 complaints related to ragging have been reported to the CID, with the highest number coming from the Sabaragamuwa University, exceeding 10 complaints.

Complaints have also been received from the Eastern and Oluvil universities regarding ragging incidents.

CID officers have stated that further inquiries are being conducted and strict legal action will be taken against those involved.

If students found to be involved in ragging incidents, they may face up to 20 years of imprisonment, according to the CID.

Meanwhile, police have requested university students to report any ragging-related complaints via the 1997 hotline.

(adaderana.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)