Latest news with #NalindaJayatissa
The Star
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Sri Lankan leftist government begins privatisation
Sri Lanka calls for Expressions of Interest for divestment of Canwill Holdings. - COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's leftist government said Tuesday (May 27) it was selling a failed hotel project, marking its first privatisation move in line with an IMF bailout. Government spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa said the cabinet had agreed to revive the previous administration's stalled process "of disposing of shares in Canwill", a fully state-owned company established in 2011 to operate hotels. The sale of Canwill marks the first major privatisation under the government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a self-avowed Marxist. Jayatissa told reporters the government had decided to retain Deloitte, a leading professional services firm, to manage the sale. The government said Canwill, with an issued capital of US$61 million, needed at least another US$120 million to complete its 47-storey, partially built, 458-room beachfront hotel in Colombo. With no prospect of raising the capital to complete the project, the new administration decided to divest the asset instead. The company also owns another beach property in the south of the island. The International Monetary Fund, which extended Sri Lanka a US$2.9 billion loan in early 2023 after the country defaulted on its US$46 billion foreign debt in April 2022, had urged reforms of loss-making state-owned enterprises. Dissanayake had previously been reluctant to sell state assets, instead promising to revive unprofitable government-owned firms through improved management. However, since winning the presidency in September, Dissanayake has made a U-turn on his pledge to renegotiate the terms of the unpopular IMF bailout agreed by his predecessor. He has retained the high taxes imposed by the previous administration and agreed to remove subsidies on fuel and electricity. The IMF bailout programme requires the government to reform 52 state-owned enterprises that are straining the national budget. - AFP
Hans India
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Sri Lanka Stays Neutral in India-Pakistan Conflict, Supports Peace
Sri Lanka has said that it will not take sides in the India-Pakistan conflict. This was reported during a press meeting held by the Sri Lankan government. Sri Lanka Will Not Join Any Side Health Minister and Cabinet Spokesperson Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that Sri Lanka will stay neutral. He explained that the country follows a non-aligned policy, meaning it does not join any group or side in political or military fights. He said Sri Lanka wants to be independent and stay out of wars between other countries. Foreign Ministry Watching the Situation The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry is watching the situation closely and gives regular updates to the government. Sri Lanka Does Not Support Terrorism The Minister said that Sri Lanka is fully against terrorism. He said the country is ready to help in stopping terrorism when needed. Good Relations With India and Pakistan Sri Lanka said it wants to keep friendly ties with both India and Pakistan. The Minister said both countries have helped Sri Lanka before, and any problems between them should be solved by talking. Sri Lanka Will Not Allow Its Land for War Dr. Jayatissa also said that Sri Lanka will not let anyone use its land, water, or airspace to attack another country. Goal Is Peace He ended by saying that Sri Lanka's role is to support peace, not war.
Gulf Today
21-02-2025
- Gulf Today
6 elephants killed as passenger train derails after crashing into herd in Sri Lanka
A Sri Lankan passenger train derailed on Thursday after smashing into a family of elephants, with no passengers injured but six animals killed in the island's worst such wildlife accident, police said. The express train was travelling near a wildlife reserve at Habarana, some 180 kilometres (110 miles) east of the capital Colombo, when it hit the herd before dawn. Videos shot of the aftermath showed one elephant standing guard over an injured youngster lying beside the tracks, with the tips of their trunks curled together. "Three baby elephants were among the six killed," government spokesman and media minister Nalinda Jayatissa told reporters. "Elephants being runover by trains is something that is not uncommon, but our attention is focused on this case because of the sheer numbers." Local police said two other elephants escaped with serious injuries. Jayatissa said the government was working on a new mechanism to reduce the number of wild animals hit by trains in sparsely populated jungle areas of the island. "All systems that were in place, like reducing speed, have failed," he said. Killing or harming elephants is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka, which has an estimated 7,000 wild elephants. The animals are considered national treasures, partly due to their significance in Buddhist culture. In August 2016, three elephant calves and their mother were run over by an express train and killed at Cheddikulam, about 260 kilometres north of Colombo. One the baby elephants was dragged about 300 metres along the track after being hit by the train which was allowed to travel at speeds up to 100 kilometres an hour (60 mph). Two baby elephants and their pregnant mother were killed in a similar accident by a train in Habarana, the scene of Thursday's tragedy, in September 2018. Since then, the authorities ordered train drivers to observe speed limits to minimise injury to elephants when going through areas where they cross the lines. Growing conflict The elephant deaths comes days after the authorities expressed concern over the growing impact of conflict between humans and elephants due to habitat encroachment. Farmers scratching a living from smallholder plots often fight back against elephants raiding their crops. Deputy environment minister Anton Jayakody told AFP on Sunday that 150 people and 450 elephants were killed in clashes in 2023. "We are planning to introduce multiple barriers -- these may include electric fences, trenches, or other deterrents -- to make it more difficult for wild elephants to stray into villages," he said. A study last year in the Journal of Threatened Taxa detailed how Asian elephants loudly mourn and bury their dead calves, reminiscent of human funeral rites. Asian elephants are recognised as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. An estimated 26,000 of them live in the wild, mostly in India with some in Southeast Asia, surviving for an average of 60-70 years outside captivity.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sri Lanka passenger train kills six elephants
A Sri Lankan passenger train derailed Thursday after smashing into a family of elephants, with no passengers injured but six animals killed in the island's worst such wildlife accident, police said. The express train was travelling near a wildlife reserve at Habarana, some 180 kilometres (110 miles) east of the capital Colombo, when it hit the herd before dawn. Videos shot of the aftermath showed one elephant standing guard over an injured youngster lying beside the tracks, with the tips of their trunks curled together. "Three baby elephants were among the six killed," government spokesman and media minister Nalinda Jayatissa told reporters. "Elephants being runover by trains is something that is not uncommon, but our attention is focused on this case because of the sheer numbers." Local police said two other elephants escaped with serious injuries. Jayatissa said the government was working on a new mechanism to reduce the number of wild animals hit by trains in sparsely populated jungle areas of the island. "All systems that were in place, like reducing speed, have failed," he said. Killing or harming elephants is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka, which has an estimated 7,000 wild elephants. The animals are considered national treasures, partly due to their significance in Buddhist culture. In August 2016, three elephant calves and their mother were run over by an express train and killed at Cheddikulam, about 260 kilometres (162 miles) north of Colombo. One the baby elephants was dragged about 300 meters (990 feet) along the track after being hit by the train which was allowed to travel at speeds up to 100 kilometres an hour (60 mph). Two baby elephants and their pregnant mother were killed in a similar accident by a train in Habarana, the scene of Thursday's tragedy, in September 2018. Since then, the authorities ordered train drivers to observe speed limits to minimise injury to elephants when going through areas where they cross the lines. - Growing conflict - The elephant deaths comes days after the authorities expressed concern over the growing impact of conflict between humans and elephants due to habitat encroachment. Farmers scratching a living from smallholder plots often fight back against elephants raiding their crops. Deputy environment minister Anton Jayakody told AFP on Sunday that 150 people and 450 elephants were killed in clashes in 2023. "We are planning to introduce multiple barriers -- these may include electric fences, trenches, or other deterrents -- to make it more difficult for wild elephants to stray into villages," he said. A study last year in the Journal of Threatened Taxa detailed how Asian elephants loudly mourn and bury their dead calves, reminiscent of human funeral rites. Asian elephants are recognised as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. An estimated 26,000 of them live in the wild, mostly in India with some in Southeast Asia, surviving for an average of 60-70 years outside captivity. aj/gle/sn
