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A South Korean regional politician was in hot water this week after suggesting that his country import young brides from Sri Lanka or Vietnam to marry rural bachelors to deal with the declining population there.

Kim Hee-Soo

Kim Hee-Soo, the head of Jindo County, who made the controversial remark and later apologised, stating that his remarks were not made with the intention to disparage any specific country or individual, South Korean news reports said.

“I simply chose my words poorly,” the politician had said in his defence, adding that his remark was made to highlight the structural issues of population decline and weakened marriage/childbirth foundations in rural areas.

Hot on the heels of this controversy, Deputy Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Minister Arun Hemachandra will be visiting South Korea later this month for discussions on more employment opportunities for Sri Lankans in that country. Several agreements are expected to be signed during the visit. The Lankan delegation may also visit Jindo County, where the controversial South Korean politician is from, though there is unlikely to be any discussion on sending Lankan brides to South Korea.

Photo op for SJB MP

SJB MP Chamindrini Kiriella posing for a picture at the Independence Day celebrations

Several opposition MPs attended the Independence Day celebrations at Independence Square, and among them was Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s Kandy district parliamentarian Chamindrini Kiriella.

She was seen posing for a photograph near the main podium where the celebrations were held.

Women MPs want Standing Orders revised to ward off insults

Women MPs handing over their petition to Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne

The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus submitted a proposal to Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne this week to amend Standing Orders of Parliament in order to prevent women lawmakers from being subject to verbal harassment or insults within the parliamentary chamber.

The women MPs pointed out that the verbal harassment targeting women MPs was on the increase and was curtailing their right to freely express their views in the House and participate in politics.

The women MPs want the section in Standing Orders on ‘Discipline in Parliament’ amended to deal with this issue.

Visitors stream to see Saman Ekanayake in prison

Former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake, who has been in remand custody at Welikada since last week, has had some high-profile visitors.

These included former Presidents Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maithripala Sirisena as well as several MPs and former colleagues in the State Service. While many others have asked for permission to visit the former Sri Lanka Administrative Officer (SLAS), prison authorities allow only a limited number of visitors.

Chamara hails President’s chopper ride

New Democratic Front (NDF) Badulla District Parliamentarian Chamara Sampath Dassanayake publicly applauded President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Parliament on Friday for flying to an event in Kandy in a helicopter.

Mr Dassanayake said he had always insisted that the country’s President is entitled to the use of a helicopter and should use it for travel.

He pointed out that the National People’s Power (NPP) government had repeatedly insisted that the President will not use helicopters for travel, claiming it was an unnecessary expense. They seem now to have changed their tune, he added.

“I remember there was a time when they (NPP) mocked the use of helicopters by presidents for travel, asking whether they were using two helicopters for one visit because the president wanted to hop from one helicopter to the other. But they should know that this is standard security protocol,” said the MP.

Photojournalists feel snapped at

While photographers covering the Independence Day celebrations were vetted by the Government Information Department before being issued the relevant passes, there was clear discrimination in the manner in which they were allocated places for coverage on the day. So much for country first.

Sajith’s presence and absence at Freedom Day shows

Prominent among those present at the Independence Day celebrations on Wednesday at Independence Square was Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, who, as protocol dictates, occupied a front-row seat.

He attended the event last year as well, the first Independence Day celebration after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was elected. This is in sharp contrast to Mr Premadasa’s refusal to attend the Independence Day celebrations when Ranil Wickremesinghe was president. This would be one of the ironies if the UNP and SJB actually decide to patch up and work together in the future.

Julie’s attachment to Lanka grows stronger

Julie Chung, who served as the United States’ ambassador in Sri Lanka until January, may have left the country, but her connection to Sri Lanka seems to be still strong.

She was among the invitees at the Independence Day reception hosted by Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Washington, Mahinda Samarasinghe.

Ambassador Julie Chung joins Freedom Day celebrations at the Sri Lankan embassy in Washington

“Snowy environs in Washington are quite a change from Colombo! A good opportunity to catch up with former U.S. Ambassadors to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake & Teresita Schaffer, and enjoy delicious Lankan food,” Ms Chung wrote on her X after attending the event.

Given her outward show of love for Sri Lanka, Ms Chung may consider following in the footsteps of one of her predecessors, the amiable James Spain (US Ambassador to Sri Lanka from 1986 to 1989), who took up residence in the country after the end of his term as ambassador.