Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Kavinda Jayawardana has expressed his gratitude to US President Donald Trump for his commitment to safeguarding persecuted Christian communities in Nigeria.

In a letter addressed to President Trump, SJB MP Kavinda Jayawardana said the US President’s decisive intervention to address the violence, murders, and assassinations targeting Catholics and other Christians in Nigeria demonstrates exceptional moral leadership on the global stage.  

“By standing firmly against the terrorist elements perpetrating these heinous crimes, you have given voice to the voiceless and hope to those living in fear. As a representative of the Catholic community in Sri Lanka, I am deeply moved by your administration’s efforts to bring international attention to these atrocities and to work toward meaningful solutions. Your actions reflect a recognition that the protection of religious minorities and the preservation of human dignity transcend borders and political considerations,” he said. 

MP Kavinda Jayawardana further said, “The world you envision, one where people of all races, ethnicities, and religions can coexist in harmony and peace, resonates deeply with the values we hold dear in Sri Lanka, a nation that has itself experienced the devastating consequences of religious and ethnic conflict.” (Newswire)

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Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has clarified that the government was not in support of any special tourism promotions for the LGBTQ community. 

PM Amarasuriya acknowledged that a letter had been issued by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman, Buddhika Hewawasam, in this regard.

She further said that the tourism minister has briefed the SLTDA Chairman on the government’s stance on the matter and has provided the necessary advice in this regard.

“The letter itself states that any such event should be conducted after notifying the government and the relevant subject minister. This proves that the notice had been issued without being discussed with the government. Previously, the President and Tourism Minister had also publicly announced the government’s stance on the matter,” she said. 

Stating that the letter was issued by the SLTDA Chairman and not the government, PM Amarasuriya said there was no need to cause an issue using this matter. 

She added that if the SLTDA Chairman had violated any laws, then legal action would be initiated against him, pointing out that, however, the President and subject minister have addressed the matter, revealing the government’s stance and that there was nothing more to do. 

PM Harini Amarasuriya made the remarks while responding to a question raised by opposition MP Kavinda Jayawardena in Parliament today. (Newswire)

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Opposition MP Kavinda Jayawardena has raised concerns over the absence of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s name from the official invitation for the National War Heroes’ Day ceremony held yesterday (May 19).

The President attended the event, held at the War Heroes’ Memorial in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, but Jayawardena questioned why the invitation card had listed the Deputy Minister of Defence as the Chief Guest instead of the President.

He challenged recent claims made by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath that the President was always scheduled to attend the ceremony, questioning that, in that case, why the President’s name was not mentioned in the invitation.

“Was the Foreign Minister Vijtha Herath lying? If the President was always supposed to attend, why wasn’t his name printed as Chief Guest?” the MP questioned.

The issue gained traction after opposition groups and social media users criticized the apparent absence of the President from the program. Following the backlash, the President’s attendance was confirmed, and he participated in the event.

In a television interview, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath attributed the confusion to an internal miscommunication by an official and said it was corrected as soon as it was identified. 

However, the opposition has since released a copy of the invitation card, which clearly names the Deputy Minister of Defence as the event’s Chief Guest, intensifying their criticism of the government’s handling of the ceremony. (Newswire)

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Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Kavinda Jayawardena has requested Parliament to address the issue of visa issuance at the Katunayake Airport after video footage was shared on social media by a foreign tourist on the long queues at visa counters.

In the video, the tourist points out the lack of a proper system for visa issuance, the lack of prior information online, the failure of officials at counters to conduct the visa issuance systematically, and the lack of comfortable waiting space at the airport. 

Commenting on the video, MP Kavinda Jayawardena said that the visa issuance system was severely hindering Sri Lanka’s progress, which depends highly on the tourism industry. 

Stating that foreign tourists are being severely inconvenienced as a result, MP Jayawrdena questioned why the government was not taking any immediate action in this regard. 

“This is shameful to our nation. We are dependent on the tourism industry for our foreign exchange. We are charging US$ 50 per tourist. I hope the government can immediately intervene and address this issue,” he said.

Responding to the MP, Chief Government Whip Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said that the government has taken steps to issue visa-free entry to 38 countries with immediate effect.

Addressing the Parliament, Minister Ranatunga said that Cabinet approval was given to the decision yesterday.

He further said that discussions were held at the Cabinet meeting to introduce a more convenient system in place of the on-arrival visa system at the Katunayake Airport, which will be a positive message to tourists visiting the nation.

Long queues and delays have been reported at the Katunayake Airport after the newly introduced visa issuance system at the Katunayake Airport ended in controversy.

The new visa issuance system by global visa processing service, VFS Global and its charges came under the spotlight after a local passenger had raised concerns over the process, with the video of the incident being widely circulated on social media.

A probe launched by the Committee on Public Finance also found that VFS Global had been picked without calling for official bids and had resulted in the Department of Immigration and Emigration losing out on receiving competitive rates for visa issuance.

In July this year, three petitions were filed at the Supreme Court against Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles and the government against the VFS visa procedure. 

Meanwhile, taking into consideration the petitions, the Supreme Court has ordered the new system to be suspended and for the old visa issuance system to be implemented. 

However, addressing the media last week, the petitioners claimed that the government has not implemented the old system properly resulting in chaos at the Katunayake Airport. (Newswire)

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Four suspects who had circulated offensive and detrimental information on Facebook about Parliamentarian Kavinda Jayawardena have been remanded till August 29, it was reported.

The suspects were arrested by the Colpetty Police and produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate.

The Magistrate was informed that the suspects had consciously circulated video clips that contained doctored, fabricated and filthy visuals of MP Kavinda Jayawardena on Facebook to harm his character and his family’s reputation.

During the hearing, the Police had also informed the court that one suspect was a coordinating secretary to a Parliamentarian who had attempted to influence the Fort and Colpetty Police in their investigations.

Making a statement in court, one suspect had revealed that he had made the doctored videos on sold them to the first suspect, and the latter had conspired with the second and fourth suspects and had released it on social media. 

At the request of the Attorney representing MP Kavinda Jayawardena and the Police, Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage has ordered the suspects to be remanded until August 29. (Newswire)

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