Leave of postal workers will be cancelled from today (April 06) until the conclusion of the Local Government Elections, Deputy Postmaster General Premachandra Herath has stated.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has announced that postal ballot papers will be handed over to the post office tomorrow.

Postal voting for the local government election is scheduled to be held from April 22- 24.

Voters who are unable to cast their votes on those dates will be given an additional opportunity to do so on April 28th and 29th.

The relatives of a Sri Lankan woman who died at an immigration detention facility in central Japan four years ago are set to demand the full release of security footage of her.

Wishma Sandamali had been detained at the facility in Nagoya City for overstaying her visa. She complained of ill health and died at the age of 33 on March 6, 2021.

Her bereaved family filed a suit with the Nagoya District Court seeking state redress, saying immigration authorities failed to provide her with medical care when her condition worsened.

The Japanese Government said that medical checkups and examinations found no cause for her ill health.

Some 295 hours of security camera footage that captured the woman as she was detained at the facility remains. The Government has submitted roughly five hours of the video to the court in response to the family’s demands.

In February, her family demanded that the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau release all the footage. On March 26, the Bureau said it had decided against doing so, on the grounds that the footage in question shows security systems and releasing it could undermine maintenance of order.

Her family said that disclosure is crucial in determining what really happened and that the decision is unacceptable. The family’s attorneys said that the family has decided to file a lawsuit next month to demand that the state reverses its decision.

(NHK)

Visiting Indian Prime Minister – Narendra Modi arrived at the historic city of Anuradhapura today (April 06).

Upon his arrival at the sacred site, Prime Minister Modi was warmly received by Northern Province Governor Vasantha Jinadasa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath, Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, Wasantha Samarasinghe and Indian High Commissioner H.E. Santosh Jha.
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Subsequently, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour by the Sri Lanka Air Force.

PM Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake are to jointly launch the signalling system for the Maho-Anuradhapura railway line—a project supported by the Indian government; they will also launch the railway track of the Maho-Omanthai railway line today.

A special traffic plan has been set in place in Anuradhapura city from 8 a.m. onwards due to the visit.

According to the police, the Anuradhapura Airport Road, Hospital Roundabout, Aliya Roundabout, Jayanthi Roundabout, and Udamaluwa Road will be closed intermittently.

However, the police stated that alternative routes have been arranged to ensure that devotees visiting Anuradhapura for the pilgrimage are not inconvenienced.