President Ranil Wickremesinghe visited the historic Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy and paid homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic, today (30). The President placed floral tribute to the Sacred Tooth Relic and engaged in religious observances. The President also received the blessings of the Maha Sangha.

The senior officer of the Sri Lanka administrative service W.B Ganegala has been appointed as the chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini (TV) Corporation.

Senior lawyer Sudarshana Gunawardana appointed as the new chairman of the Independent Television Network (ITN) assumed duty today. (28)

He has served as the Director General of the Govt. information department and also as the chairman of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation prior to this portfolio.

Professor Sunanda Madduma Bandara and Kshenuka Senewiratne have been appointed as Senior Advisors to the President.

Prof. Madduma Bandara is President’s Senior Advisor (Media) and Senewiratne will be President’s Senior Advisor on International Media. Prof. Madduma Bandara, a former Vice-Chancellor of the Kelaniya University was the Head of the Department of  Economics and Social Sciences Faculty Dean at the Kelaniya University.

He has also served as the Secretary of the State Ministry of Media and also as the Director General of Information. He was also the Director General of the Economic Development Ministry. Senewiratne is a former senior Diplomat of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service and former Foreign Affairs Ministry Secretary. She has served as the High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador to Thailand and the Permanent Representative to the United Nations in both Geneva and New York.

Member of Parliament Hon.Dr.Bandula Gunawardane assumed duty as Minister of Mass Media today (25).

He took over his appointment letter from President Ranil Wickremesinghe on last Friday (22).  Dr.Gunawardane has held the same portfolio previously. He has also been appointed as the Minister of Transport and Highways in addition to the post of Minister of Mass Media.

In this occasion secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media Anusha Palpita, Additional secretary to the Ministry (Administration) S.R.W.M.R.P Sathkumara, Additional secretary E.M.S.B Jayasundara, Director General of the Department of Government Information Mohan Samaranayake and other senior officials of the Ministry also participated.

Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media Anusha Palpita assumed duties today (22) at the Ministry of Mass Media.

Mr. Anusha Palpita is a senior administrative officer, who has held the same portfolio previously and experience in several fields in the state sector. 

The swearing-in of the new Cabinet of Ministers of the interim government under President Ranil Wickremesinghe took place at the Temple Trees this morning (22).

The ceremony was held after MP Dinesh Gunawardena took oath as the new Prime Minister this morning.

The Cabinet of Ministers of the new interim government is as follows:

1. PM Dinesh Gunawardena – Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils & Local Government

2. Douglas Devananda – Minister of Fisheries

3. Susil Premajayantha – Minister of Education

4. Bandula Gunawardena – Minister of Transport, Highways & Media

5. Keheliya Rambukwella – Minister of Health & Water Supply

6. Mahinda Amaraweera – Minister of Agriculture, Wildlife & Forest Conservation

7. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe – Minister of Justice, Prisons & Constitutional Reforms

8. Harin Fernando – Minister of Tourism & Lands

9. Ramesh Pathirana – Minister of Industries & Plantation Industries

10. Prasanna Ranatunga – Minister of Urban Development & Housing

11. Ali Sabry, PC – Minister of Foreign Affairs

12. Vidura Wickramanayake – Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious & Cultural Affairs

13. Kanchana Wijesekara – Minister of Power & Energy

14. Ahamed Nazeer – Minister of Environment

15. Roshan Ranasinghe – Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs & Irrigation

16. Manusha Nanayakkara – Minister of Labour & Foreign Employment

17. Tiran Alles – Minister of Public Security

18. Nalin Fernando – Minister of Trade, Commerce & Food Security

Sri Lanka Administrative Service officer D.M Anura Dissanayake has been appointed as Secretary to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, this morning (22). He received his appointment letter from the new Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at the Prime Minister's office, today.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reaffirmed the commitment to upholding the rights of peaceful, non-violent assembly.

He expressed this stance to the Colombo based diplomats at a meeting held today (22) to update them on the removal of the protesters who had been illegally occupying the Presidential Secretariat. According to his media office, President Wickremesinghe stated that both Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 14 (1) (b) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, which governs the rights of peaceful assembly, would be upheld by the Government.

The President further explained that the instructions given by the American Civil Liberties Union stated that protesters were not permitted to block Government buildings and interfere with other purposes the property was designed for.

The diplomats were also briefed on the measures being taken to ensure that non-violent protests were allowed to proceed within the city without endangering property or lives. Facilities within Colombo, such as the Open-Air theatre at Viharamahadevi Park, New Town Hall, Hyde Park and Campbell Park were all being made available for non-violent protests.

Addressing concerns regarding the GotaGoGama protest site, it was explained that it had not been removed by security forces, contrary to erroneous social media reports. Furthermore, the participants were also briefed by the Attorney General on the legal avenues being pursued, including producing all those arrested by the Police before the Colombo Magistrate Court, the President Media added.

Parliamentarian Dinesh Gunawardena was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister this morning (22). Gunawardena took oath before President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Several Members of Parliament were present at the occasion. During the tenure of the previous government, Prime Minister Gunawardena served as the Minister of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government.

The new Prime Minister was also part of several Parliamentary Committees with the most recent being the Select Committee of Parliament to identify appropriate reforms of the election laws and the electoral system and to recommend necessary amendments.

Prime Minister Gunawardena is the son of Philip Gunawardena, nicknamed the Lion of Boralugoda, who is the father of Socialism in this country and Kusuma Gunawardena. Born on March 2, 1949, Dinesh Gunawardena has been the leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna since 1973 after the death of Philip Gunawardena.

Dinesh Gunawardena received his education at Royal College, Colombo. Later, he earned Associate Degrees in business administration, management and international transportation from the Netherlands Business University and the University of Oregon.

He entered Parliament for the first time at the 1983 by-election, marking a historic victory as the Maharagama MP.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, is a labour leader and national leader, engaged in a continuous political journey committed to the welfare and unity of the country and to serve the common man.

He has represented Parliament as the Minister of Transport, Transport and Environment, Urban Development and Water Supply, Higher Education (Deputy), Urban Development and Sacred Area Development, Water Supply and Drainage, Municipalities and Western Development, Foreign Affairs and Skill Development and Employment and Labour.

He also held the positions of the Chief Whip of the ruling party in Parliament, the leader of the Parliament Committee and the Chairman of three Parliamentary Special Committees to amend the voting system. His son, Yadamini Gunawardena is also a Member of Parliament.

Sri Lanka Administrative Service officer Saman Ekanayake has been appointed as Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka, the president’s office said shortly after Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the country’s eighth executive president.

Ekanayake was Secretary to the Prime Minister since his appointment on May 12 following Wickremesinghe’s appointment as prime minister.

He had served as Secretary to the Prime Minister three times before under the tenure of Wickremesinghe from 2015 to 2019.

Ekanayake is a Special Grade Retired Officer in the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, with a career spanning 30 years in which he served a number of ministries and High Commissions in Malaysia and London.

Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the 8^th Executive President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka this morning (21) in front of Chief Justice Mr. Jayantha Jayasuriya in the Parliamentary Complex.

Speaker Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Leader of the Opposition Hon. Sajith Premadasa, Member of Parliament Hon. Dullas Alahapperuma and a group of Ministers and Members of Parliament and the First Lady Prof. Maithree Wickremesinghe were present.

The secret ballot was held yesterday (20) to elect a succeeding president to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Acting President Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected as the succeeding President by getting 134 votes.