Sri Lanka is planning on relaxing the restrictions on all marriages between Sri Lankans and foreigners.
P. S. P. Abeywardena, the country’s Registrar General noted that Circular No:-18/2021 on registration of Marriages between Foreigners and Sri Lankans will be abolished.
According to this circular, a Health Declaration is necessary for the confirmation of the health conditions from the relevant foreign national.
In addition, a Security Clearance Report indicating the foreign national has not been convicted of any offence is also necessary, as per the circular.
However, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena had noted that these restrictions must be relaxed.
Accordingly, the Registrar General’s Department had informed the Defence Ministry, and the Health Ministry to introduce alternative processes with regard to a Health Declaration, and Security Clearance Report.
Registrar General P. S. P. Abeywardena noted that the Attorney General’s Department was also informed of these developments.
Any Sri Lankan citizen who wants to marry a foreigner will have to wait for a ‘Security Clearance Report’ from the Defence Ministry before proceeding to the registration of the marriage, according to a circular issued by the Registrar General’s Department in 2021.
These restrictions are to be relaxed, as per the country’s Registrar General.
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.
