News

BASL Bar Council condemns Tiran Alles’ statement, calls for resignation

Published

1 year ago

April 28, 2024

editor

The Bar Council of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) yesterday passed a resolution condemning the recent statement made by Public Security Minister Tiran Alles calling upon newly-passed out police recruits that it was not a sin to eradicate criminals.

BASL President Kaushalya Nawaratne told the Sunday Times that the resolution was moved over the statement made by the Minister on Thursday at the passing out parade of specially-trained officers of the first combat motorbike unit to eradicate criminal elements in the Western and Southern Provinces at the STF Camp in Katukurunda, Kalutara.

The Minister told the officers “it is not a sin” to eradicate those involved in murders, selling drugs and trafficking drugs.

The Bar Council resolved that if the Minister does not step down, the President should take action to remove him from the Public Security Ministry post, Mr Nawaratne said.

The Bar Association stated that they would resort to local as well as international legal action if the Minister would not be removed from his position.

Mr Nawaratne said that the statement comes in the wake of a breakdown of the law and order situation and alleged that the Sri Lanka Police was involved in various illegal acts in the recent months.

(sundaytimes.lk)

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

News

03 Lankans featured in 2025 Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list

Published

4 hours ago

May 15, 2025

editor

03 young Sri Lankans have been featured in the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list for 2025.

They are :
Nikin Matharaarachchi, in 2021, founded Sri Lanka-based Synapse AI Labs is the company behind Kommon Poll, an AI-powered social listening tool. Kommon Poll provides businesses marketing insights by analyzing keyword performance across multiple online platforms, including news sites, blogs and social media.

Charith N Silva, known for videos showing him preparing dishes in outdoor settings, launched the YouTube channel ‘Wild Cookbook’ in 2020 during the pandemic. With over 600 videos, ‘Wild Cookbook’ is now Sri Lanka’s largest YouTube channel with over 10 million subscribers, and Silva has over 2.3 million Instagram followers. In November 2024, he opened a restaurant in Colombo called Wildish.

Yanika Amarasekera-Siyaguna, a UC Berkeley and Imperial College London alumna, founded Silver Aisle, Sri Lanka’s first online wedding registry, in 2019. The e-commerce platform has since expanded beyond wedding gifts to include presents for all occasions as well as dining ,vacation packages and lessons in horse riding, golf and pottery, among others. In 2023, Amarasekera-Siyaguna was appointed an independent director of LB Finance, one of Sri Lanka’s largest finance firms.

News

SL & India sign USD 930.8 Mn. debt restructuring deal

Published

5 hours ago

May 15, 2025

editor

Sri Lanka and India have signed a USD 930.8 million debt restructuring deal recently on Sri Lanka’s present External Debt Restructuring Process.

The signing of Bilateral Amendatory Agreements between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) of India took place on March 25, 2025 and April 03, 2025, respectively.

The deal concerns 07 Line of Credit and 04 Buyer’s Credit Facility agreements with the Government of India.

Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, Mr. K.M. Mahinda Siriwardana, signed the agreements on behalf of the Sri Lankan Government.

General Manager of the EXIM Bank of India, Mr.Nirmit Ved, signed the Line of Credits, and Deputy General Manager of the EXIM Bank of India, Mr. Amith Kumar, signed the Buyer’s Credit Agreements.

Issuing a statement, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development stated that the signing of these bilateral amendatory agreements marks a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s ongoing External Debt Restructuring Process.

News

965 lives lost in road accidents during last 05 months

Published

5 hours ago

May 15, 2025

editor

A total of 965 people have died between January 01 – May 13 due to various road accidents across Sri Lanka.

During this period,1,842 accidents including 902 fatal accidents were recorded, according to police reports.

The main causes cited for these accidents include negligence, reckless driving and improper vehicle maintenance.

To address the rising number of accidents, police have planned a special island-wide program focused on reducing traffic incidents, including driver awareness initiatives.