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New US Embassy in Colombo opened (Pic)

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The newly revamped United States Embassy in Sri Lanka was officially declared open in Colombo yesterday.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, and the US Department of State’s Under Secretary for Management John Bass officially opened the new Embassy in a festive event.

Below is the full statement issued by the American Embassy in Sri Lanka.

Colombo, October 28, 2022: In a celebration of more than 70 years of U.S.-Sri Lankan friendship, partnership, and bilateral ties, the Honorable President Ranil Wickremesinghe, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, and the U.S. Department of State’s Under Secretary for Management John Bass officially opened the new U.S. Embassy on Galle Road today in a festive event that included officials and private citizens from both countries.

“It was a great honor to celebrate our new Embassy in the presence of the President of Sri Lanka, honored guests, and colleagues,” said U.S. Ambassador Chung. “We have had an embassy in Colombo since Sri Lanka’s independence in 1948, and the new campus symbolizes our enduring partnership with Sri Lanka. Americans and Sri Lankans worked together to build this state-of-the-art facility that epitomizes respect for the environment and appreciation of Sri Lankan architectural, cultural, and artistic themes. We are pleased to open our new doors to our Sri Lankan friends.”

Under Secretary Bass stated: “The new embassy highlights the important diplomatic relationship between the United States and Sri Lanka and provides the first impression of the United States for many Sri Lankans. It also demonstrates sustainable design, construction, and operations that represent the best of U.S. architecture, engineering, and building standards.”

The new Embassy is situated on the existing, expanded embassy site along the seafront in central Colombo and provides a secure, modern, sustainable, and resilient platform for U.S. diplomacy in Sri Lanka. The architecture and landscape of the new Embassy were designed to embrace Sri Lanka’s ecology, history, and culture and are heavily informed by Colombo’s tropical climate. Domestically sourced natural stone and wood reference the region’s rich selection of materials in a neutral palette that draws attention to the lushness of the landscape. The Embassy’s interior incorporates textures and patterns inspired by local culture, art, and the surrounding gardens.

A model of environmental stewardship, the new embassy was designed to reduce energy costs and greenhouse-gas emissions while increasing security and augmenting renewable energy usage. To mitigate the effects of strong sun and heavy rainfall, the new embassy integrates regionally available weather-resistant materials, an advanced stormwater management system, and, soon, photovoltaic arrays that will offset roughly eleven percent of the building’s annual energy use. The project is registered with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) — a global green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices — and is on track to achieve Silver certification.

The new Embassy also contains a permanent art collection, curated by the Office of Art in Embassies, that includes art in a variety of media, including painting, photography, textiles, and sculpture by both U.S. and Sri Lankan artists. Highlights include site-specific commissions of Birds for Sri Lanka and a wall sculpture representing the atolls and coral life in the oceans. These works reflect an understanding of the diversity and richness of U.S. and Sri Lankan ecology and cultural heritage.

The Bureau of Overseas Building Operations spearheaded the new embassy’s construction. Integrus Architecture of Seattle was the architect for the project, and Caddell Construction Company, LLC of Montgomery, Alabama, constructed the complex, injecting roughly $90 million into the local economy.

-US Embassy Colombo

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Grenade found from garden of Kabaddi Federation President

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A live grenade manufactured abroad has been found in front of the house of Sri Lanka Kabaddi Federation President – Mr. Anura Dharmaratne, which is located in the Dolahamuna area in Hettipola.

Mr. Dharmaratne had lodged a complaint yesterday (26) with the Hettipola police, saying that there’s a grenade in front of his car which was parked on his land.

He had claimed someone had planted the grenade thus after someone who had been offended after it was announced that he was going to contest for the Kabbaddi presidency again.

Subsequently, police had visited the premises and seized the grenade.
So far, no arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

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Army Sanath arrested

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Notorious criminal and drug trafficker – ‘Army Sanath’ has been arrested in the Ahangama area during an operation carried out by the Police Special Task Force in Ahangama area.

He had also been in possession of 15 grams of heroin at the time of arrest.

According to the Police STF, ‘Army Sanath’ has operated the crime and drug ring of another notorious criminal – ‘Harak Kata’.

Authorities also say that it has been revealed that ‘Army Sanath’ had been in charge of transporting weapons for a spate of recent shootings as well as cleaning these weapons following the shootings and handing them over to various persons on the instructions of ‘Harak Kata’.

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2 CMC workers working in sewage gully, die 

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Two labourers engaged in maintenance work of a sewage gully network in Hettiyawatta, Kotahena had died today afternoon, Police said.
They were attached to the Colombo Municipal Council.

The workers had been unconscious when hospitalized and had later died.

Police say that they suspect the workers had inhaled a poisonous gas in the sewer.

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