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The Northern Province administration had been taken to task by residents and civil society members in the past for being inefficient and lethargic for obvious reasons.

It was a damning moment when Northern Province Governor and former District Secretary N. Vedhanayahan publicly criticised senior officials in the higher rungs of the provincial officialdom, saying they were clinging to their seats without delivering progress at the grassroots level while enjoying perks and privileges. 

Addressing a public event in Kilinochchi on Friday (21), the governor said the central government was willing to release funds for development projects in the North, but some senior provincial secretaries were not willing to serve the public by implementing them.

“They are focused on merely securing all the perks and privileges for themselves from public funds. It is very shameful,” the governor said, expressing his disappointment at those officials who are not proactively taking steps to serve the conflict-affected communities in the province.

The governor also questioned the work of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the north, pointing to the plight of the affected communities. He said some NGOs secure funds, claiming to serve the affected communities, but a significant amount of such funds were utilised “for their own administrative expenses,” he said.

All set for grand diplomatic bash

The annual diplomatic bazaar organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism will be held in grand style, with the event to be held at the Galle Face Green next Saturday.

The event will include an evening of international cuisine, fashion, cultural performance, musical shows and many more forms of entertainment.

The Chinese Embassy has organised a special team to fly in from China for the event, while other foreign missions based in Colombo too will add to the event.

The event is being held with the collaboration of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service Association.

Student sits exam paper despite snakebite

In Point Pedro, the talk of the town these days is a story of how a GCE Advanced Level student sat the ongoing examinations despite being treated for a snake bite.

The student from Hartley College, Point Pedro, turned up at the examination centre on Friday, but it took a while for him to realise, once the exam began and blood started dripping, that a snake had bitten his leg. The nature of the wound indicated that the student had been bitten by a snake on the school premises.

Acting swiftly, invigilators took him to a nearby hospital in an ambulance. Following the treatment, the student returned to the examination hall to finish his papers while an ambulance was on standby at school.

After the examinations, he was taken back to hospital and admitted for further treatment. He turned up yesterday to sit for the remaining papers in
an ambulance.

Fees revised for temporary driving licence

The Transport Ministry this week revised the fees payable for the renewal or obtaining of temporary driving licences. The changes were announced in a gazette notification to amend the Motor Traffic (Driving Licence Levy) Regulations.

Sri Lankans holding foreign driving licences will have to pay Rs. 30,000 to obtain a temporary Sri Lankan licence, while non-citizens will be charged Rs. 60,000.

Additional fees between Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 45,000 will apply for renewals and temporary licences for non-citizens and visitors, depending on the type of licence and its validity period.

Snake scare rattles Sajith

The ongoing budget debate was interrupted by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on Thursday to inform Speaker Jagath Wickremaratne that the sighting of a snake in the parliament premises was a cause for concern and he must take steps to safeguard MPs from reptiles.

Mr. Premadasa said he had been informed that a snake had even entered the Speaker’s Office and said that both the Speaker and all MPs must be protected.

Apparently the snake story spread after staff at the building noticed a reptile creeping up the wall where the Speaker’s office is located. The garden maintenance staff had acted swiftly to remove the reptile without incident. Given that the parliament is located in an ecologically sensitive area, intrusion by reptiles is a common occurrence but no harm has been caused to anyone so far.

US embassy celebrates Marine Corps jubilee with a ball

US ambassador Julie Chung poses for photographs with attendees of the ball, including Deputy Defence Minister Anura Jayasekara.

The US Embassy celebrated the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps at the annual Marine Corps Ball this week.

Ambassador Julie Chung hosted the event with Deputy Defence Minister Major General (retd) Aruna Jayasekara, Defence Ministry Secretary Air Vice Marshal (retd) Sampath Thuyacontha, military dignitaries, and members of the diplomatic corps and partners from across
Sri Lanka.

This year’s celebration comes as the United States prepares to mark 250 years of independence in 2026.

Ranil and Maithree among invitees at Jeevan’s Chennai wedding

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mrs.Maithree Wickramasinghe will be among the large number of dignities who are attending the wedding of Nuwara Eliya District MP and General Secretary of the Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC), Jeevan Thondaman, who will tie the knot in Chennai today.

His bride-to-be is Dr. Seetha Sri Nachchiyar, a resident of Chennai, India.

Thirty one year old Thondaman, is the son of former Minister Arumugam Thondaman and the grandson of the founder of the CWC Soumyamoorthy Thondaman.

A visit to Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai also thrown in

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, visited the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai on Saturday, while in India for Jeevan Thondaman’s wedding.

He was accompanied by his wife, Maithree Wickramasinghe, during the temple visit, which was held under tight security arrangements by local police.

The world-famous Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple attracts thousands of devotees from across the country and abroad every day.

‘Genocide’ features in Canadian council’s Eelam flag-day declaration

In parallel to annual Heroes Day—Maaveerar Naal—events that are being organised in the Northern and Eastern provinces, diaspora-based groups are also planning to hold events in several Western capitals.

The Canadian Tamil diaspora secured a small win for themselves this week when the Brampton City Council declared November 21 as “Tamil Eelam National Flag Day”, with Mayor Patrick Brown issuing a proclamation.

The proclamation reads: “On this day, the Tamil Eelam National Flag is ceremonially hoisted, and a series of events and workshops are held to honour the resistance against genocide, while fostering a dialogue on Tamil history, culture and identity.”

Degree dramas take centrestage once again

The recent uproar in Parliament over SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa’s law degree has once again raised questions of educational qualifications of MPs. First there were questions about SJB leader Sajith Premadasa’s degree which prompted him to bring all his academic qualification certificates and table them in parliament. However, the PhD of the NPP first choice for Speaker MP Asoka Ranwala remains elusive. More than a year after he promised to present the certificate, it is still to materialise.