News

Fmr. MP who fired shots in the air, arrested

Published

2 years ago

June 14, 2023

editor

An investigation has been initiated into an incident where a former MP of Kalutara district had fired gunshots into the air.

The former MP – Mr. P.D. Abayaratne, who is the Horana organizer of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, had done so to scare a group of people.

Horana police says that Mr. Abayaratne has been arrested and his 9mm type firearm has been seized with 03 live bullets. He is to be produced before the Horana Magistrate Court.

According to the police, Mr. Abayaratne had gone to inspect a tea cultivation owned by him. He had fired shots into the air after a heated exchange of words with a group of persons who had trespassed on the land which had escalated to a level where one trespasser had attempted to attack the regional politician with an axe.

Police say that Mr. Abayaratne had fired two shots into the air and that investigations have revealed that he does possess a legal permit for the firearm.

News

Seat belt compulsory for bus drivers from today

Published

1 hour ago

July 1, 2025

editor

The National Transport Commission (NTC) has announced that starting today (July 01), it will be mandatory for all bus drivers to wear seat belts, with strict penalties for non-compliance.

Under the MotorTraffic Act, bus drivers are legally required to wear seat belts, but a rise in accidents due to drivers ignoring this rule has prompted the authorities to re-enforce it.

Police confirmed that action will be taken against drivers who fail to comply.

Seat belts to be made mandatory for all passengers in expressways

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport has also stated that wearing seat belts will be made mandatory to all passengers of light vehicles travelling on expressways from August 01, 2025.

Meanwhile, wearing seat belts will also be mandatory to all passengers of all vehicles on expressways from September 01, 2025.

Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayake also confirmed the directive while speaking to media this morning (July 01) during an inspection tour at the Colombo Central Bus Stand.

BIZ

End of parate relief for large SMEs

Published

1 hour ago

July 1, 2025

editor

The grace period granted to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) under Sri Lanka’s Parate Execution Law officially ended midnight yesterday (June 30) for businesses with loans exceeding Rs. 50 million.

The Parate Law grants banks the authority to seize properties pledged as collateral without court proceedings. Although its implementation had been suspended for three months by the current administration—and for six months earlier under former President Ranil Wickremesinghe—it has now been reinstated, triggering serious concern among entrepreneurs.

Deputy Minister of Economic Development – Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando has stated that the government intends to hold discussions with all relevant parties in the coming days to address the issues linked to the law’s reimplementation.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader – Sajith Premadasa has warned that the re-implementation of the Parate Execution Law could lead to the rapid auctioning of assets from small, medium, and micro businesses, putting them at risk.

In a statement yesterday (June 30), he emphasized that these businesses contribute over 50% to Sri Lanka’s Gross Domestic Production (GDP) and employ over 04 million people.

News

Ex-SriLankan Airlines chief produced before court

Published

1 hour ago

July 1, 2025

editor

Former Chairman of SriLankan Airlines – Nishantha Wickramasinghe has been produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court by prison officials today (July 01).

Wickramasinghe was arrested last week by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and is currently in remand custody,