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SAARC leadership handed to Bhutan by Lankan President

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Thursday, 29 April 2010 03:44

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa handed over the chairmanship of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Y. Thinley during the inauguration of the 16th summit of the heads of state of SAARC at Thimpu in Bhutan.

New Cabinet sworn in

Saturday, 24 April 2010 04:38

The new Cabinet of Ministers of the UPFA government headed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (23 April).

37 Ministers and 39 Deputy Ministers were sworn in. The previous Cabinet comprised 51 Ministers, 39 non- Cabinet Ministers and 19 Deputy Ministers. Thus, the new Cabinet is significantly smaller with the number of Cabinet Ministers reduced to 37.

Thursday, 22 April 2010 10:28

General Secretary of the People’s Alliance (PA), Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Jayaratne was sworn in as the Prime Minster before President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees a short while ago.

Mr. Jayaratne entered parliament from Gampola electorate following the General Election in 1970 from the United Front led by Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

Born in June 7, 1931 he is one of the earliest members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party when it was founded in Kandy in 1951. He was educated at Doluwa Maha Vidyalaya where he was later a teacher. He was later postmaster at Doluwa, Gampola from 1960-62.

He was defeated in the General Election of 1977 and later re-elected from the Kandy District. In the 1989 General Election, he obtained 54,290 votes; the highest polled by a candidate of the district from the SLFP and was a member of the opposition in the parliament.

He was a key member in organizing the People's Alliance and in the General Election of 1994, he was elected again with the highest number of votes from the Gampola electorate and appointed Minister of Land, Agriculture and Forestry in the cabinet of Prime Minister Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

Following the election in 2000 he was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Food and Corporative. With the General Election victory of the PA in 2004, he was appointed Minister of Post and Telecommunication and Upcountry Development and later in 2005 he was appointed Minister of Post and Telecommunication and Rural Economic Development under President Mahinda Rajapaksa. From 2007 to date he has been the Minister of Plantation Industries.

In 2001 he was elected Chairman of the Asia Pacific Region of Food and Agriculture Organization.

Mr. Jayaratne is the 20th Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

President greets Amitabh Bachchan

Wednesday, 21 April 2010 05:50

President Mahinda Rajapaksa met with leading Indian film star Amitabh Bachchan, Brand Ambassador of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) at Janadhipathi Mandiraya (President’s House) in Colombo this evening ( April 20).

Mr. Bachchan is in Colombo for the official launch if IIFA 2010, the largest annual event of Bollywood cinema which will be held in Colombo in June this year.

At the meeting which lasted 45 minutes, President Rajapaksa and Mr. Bachchan discussed aspects of the Indian and Sri Lankan film industries, with emphasis on developing good cinema of the whole sub-continent, combining the assets and talents of both India and Sri Lanka.

Mr. Bachchan was the guest of President and Madame Shiranthi Rajapaksa.

The Bollywood legend told the President that of all the welcomes he had received over the past 10 years with IIFA, the reception he had received in Sri Lanka was by far the very best. He was also very appreciative of the opportunities for film production available in Sri Lanka, in the current situation of peace and stability that prevails in the country.

President Rajapaksa said the Government was keen to develop the Sri Lanka film industry and saw many possibilities of partnership with India in this regard. Mr. Bachchan was impressed by the work already done in establishing the Mahinda Rajapaksa National Tele-Cinema Park, at Tissamaharama, which is a brainchild of the President.

Mr. Bachchan and President Rajapaksa were agreed on the need and possibility of building bridges of understanding through the cinema, and the Indian star said he was struck by the integration of the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim cultures in the welcome dance forms that he saw, which showed the peoples’ desire to live in peace and harmony. He was also very positive on the prospects of tourism development in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan President and Mr. Bachchan also discussed cricket which both of them follow keenly, and Mr. Bachchan said he was struck by the very good performance of all Sri Lankan players in the current IPL series. President Rajapaksa said that part of this success was the encouragement given by to rural youth to participate in cricket and intentional sports by the Government.

Also present at the meeting were Mr. Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the President, Mr. Gamini Senarath, Additional Secretary to the President, Mr. Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Governor of the Central Bank, Mr. George Michael, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Mr. W. B. Ganegala, Secretary Ministry of Media and Information, acclaimed film starts of Sri Lanka Malani Fonseka and Ravindra Randeniya and Ms. Jacqueline Fernandez, a former Miss Sri Lanka; and Mr. Joseph Sabbas and Ms. Shefani Munshi, of Wizcraft Enterprises International of India.

New Year festivities should further unite hearts and minds

Tuesday, 13 April 2010 18:00

It is my belief that these New Year festivities should seek to further unite our people in heart and mind, stated President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his message for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

The New Year celebrations by Sinhalese and Tamils alike are most appropriate in recognizing the kinship among us. This is the continuance of strong cultural traditions that strengthen the bonds among the people of our land, he said.

I trust that this Sinhala and Tamil New Year which reflects the unity and pride of our nation will be celebrated by all in the spirit of joy, peace, sharing and contentment which will lead us to a future of prosperity, the President emphasized.

Following is the full text of the message :

This is the first New Year being celebrated in harmony and contentment since the motherland was unified.

It is my belief that these New Year festivities should seek to further unite our people in heart and mind. The New Year celebrations by Sinhalese and Tamils alike are most appropriate in recognizing the kinship among us. This is the continuance of strong cultural traditions that strengthen the bonds among the people of our land.

The government has carried out all necessary measures to bring the joy and meaning of the New Year closer to the people. To this end we have sought to bring prosperity to the nation through agricultural development and encouraging an ethical way of life.

The true spirit of the New Year should be felt most by our children who make up the future generation. It is our responsibility as a nation to teach them the best values and traditions preserved through thousands of years and bestow upon them the cultural heritage that has enriched our nation. Towards this end, it is my wish that every
household will carryout the New Year traditions with hope of auspicious beginnings for the future.

I trust that this Sinhala and Tamil New Year which reflects the unity and pride of our nation will be celebrated by all in the spirit of joy, peace, sharing and contentment which will lead us to a future of prosperity.

I wish you all a Happy New Year!