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The ‘Walk for Peace’, a 110-day peace walk across 10 US states from Texas to Washington conducted by a group of Buddhist monks, captivating millions in that country and garnering worldwide attention, will take place in Sri Lanka later this month.

Monks marching for peace in the US

The ‘Walk for Peace Programme in Sri Lanka’ will be undertaken by twelve monks led by the founder of the American peace walk, Venerable Pannakara Thero. The monks are scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on April 21. The walk will receive state patronage.

The peace walk will be conducted over seven days, from April 22 to April 28, with the participation of the Maha Sangha and a group of devotees.

On April 21, the activities of the peace walk will begin after receiving blessings in front of the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in historic Anuradhapura. A sapling of the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi, obtained with the blessings of the Maha Sangha led by the Chief Incumbent of the Atamasthana, will also be ceremonially carried during the peace walk.

Following special religious observances held in front of the historic Ruwanweli Maha Seya, the message of peace will be conveyed to the people of the Anuradhapura District.

On the morning of April 22, following the offering of Sanghagatha Dakshina, the peace walk will resume from Dambulla. The procession is scheduled to pass through Naula, Matale, Kandy, Kadugannawa, Kegalle, Tholangamuwa, Kajugama, Yakkala, Mahara and Kelaniya before concluding at Independence Square in Colombo on April 28.

Marking the conclusion of the peace walk, the sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi that was ceremonially carried will be officially handed over by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to the Maha Sangha who arrived from the United States.

US looks for influencers to combat ‘anti-American propaganda’

The United States government this week directed every American embassy and consulate across the world to recruit influencers, academics and community leaders to counter what it describes as “anti-American propaganda”, while promoting the social media platform X as a key tool, international media reported.

The cable, signed by the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on Monday suggested embassies and consulates work alongside the US military’s psychological operations unit to address the problem of rampant disinformation.

Embassies have also been instructed to expand access to international news and independent analysis in local languages, particularly in regions where information is restricted. US-funded programmes must be clearly branded to ensure visibility.

More than 700 American cultural centres worldwide are to be repositioned as hubs for open access to information and promoted as free speech spaces.

Lanka to strengthen disaster-response ties with US

Ambassador Samarasinghe with Montana National Guard officers

Sri Lanka’s ambassador in Washington, Mahinda Samarasinghe, visited the Montana National Guard to discuss future partnerships and express appreciation for members of the Guard for assistance rendered in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah.

Montana National Guard engineers, medical professionals, and disaster response leaders were among those who rendered valuable assistance in the aftermath of the massive cyclone.

“From the mountains of Montana to the shores of Sri Lanka, we are bound by a shared understanding: when disaster strikes, response must be swift, but relationships must already be strong,” the Montana National Guard wrote after its meeting with the Sri Lankan ambassador.

In November 2025, the United States and Sri Lanka signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalising the defence partnership between the Montana National Guard, the US Coast Guard District 13, and the Sri Lanka Armed Forces under the Department of War’s State Partnership Program (SPP).

Viper video draws warning from wildlife chief

Wildlife Director General Ranjan Marasinghe is warning people not to handle reptiles and exhibit them without knowing the harm they can cause.

His comments came following a recent social media video which showed a man holding a Russell’s Viper, one of the most venomous snakes in the country, believing it to be a rock python, and allowing others to touch the reptile. While Wildlife Department officials are on the lookout for the man, Mr Marasinghe warned the public against capturing reptiles and exhibiting them without proper training and advice from experts.

“The person in the video is ignorantly endangering his life and that of others. We are going to take action against them. He was showing off the reptile, calling it a python, but it’s clearly a viper. This could end up being a fatal mistake,” he said.

Gammanpila throws ‘fake’ book at CID

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Gammanpila in a pensive mood at the launch

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader Udaya Gammanpila, who this week launched his ‘Pasku Praharaye Mahamolakaru Soyayema (In Search of the Mastermind of the Easter Attacks),’ is accusing the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of circulating a fake version of his book.

Speaking to the media shortly after the launch of his book, Mr Gammanpila claimed that a PDF version claiming to be his book was now in circulation via WhatsApp. However, this was a fake document that had been compiled using an early draft of his book, he added. The PDF version claiming to be Mr Gammanpila’s book has distorted facts in the real book, he insisted.

He urged users not to circulate the fake PDF version, requesting them to purchase and read the real book.

America’s cold is Lanka’s pneumonia

The crisis in West Asia and its impact on Sri Lanka were yet again the main topic when President Anura Kumara Dissanayake convened his Cabinet this week.

Addressing the Cabinet, the President noted that there was no telling where things would end if the war continued to escalate. Gas storage facilities, oil tanks, and oil wells could be targeted. Therefore, even if the war stops, a dip in fuel production is inevitable for some time. This could lead to both a fuel shortage and extreme price hikes, which would be a serious blow to a country like
Sri Lanka, the President observed.

One minister participating in the discussion quipped, “Yes, as we used to say, when America catches a cold, we get pneumonia.”

Aussie Parippu for Avurudu, but will there be gas to cook?

High Commissioner Matthew Duckworth promoting Australian parippu in his social media post

Australian High Commissioner Matthew Duckworth was seen at the Colombo Port this week welcoming a shipment of premium Australian lentils.

“Look what’s arriving just in time for Sinhala and Tamil New Year! A fresh shipment of premium Australian lentils has landed at Colombo port, which means Sri Lankans can continue to enjoy the best dhal curry in the world this festive season,” High Commissioner Duckworth wrote on his X handle with a video of him at the port as the lentils, locally known as Parippu, were being unloaded.

“Australia is proud to be a reliable supplier of this essential staple—supporting food security while strengthening our two-way trade partnership. And that’s great news for all of us. A strong partnership delivering for people in both our countries,” he wrote.

Sri Lanka’s main import from Australia is lentils.

‘Hope the cooking gas will be available to prepare the best dhal curry in the world,’ remarked a wag reading the post.

Fuel fools

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation’s (CPC) April 1st announcement that both odd- and even-numbered vehicles can obtain fuel under the QR quota system was taken as an April Fools’ joke on social media until it turned out to be a fact.

CPC also made it clear that the special arrangement was only applicable that particular Wednesday, and the usual odd-even system will resume thereafter.

A concerned social media user who is a bit fed up with all recent developments in the wake of the country’s affairs and looming economic crisis quipped, “CPC is to fuel up April fools instead of the usual odd numbered ones.’ It was not the case.

Land protest backfires in North

In the North, certain elements, including politicians, who tried to exploit pending land issues with false propaganda were left disappointed this week.

They called for a protest against the proposed acquisition of about 38 acres of civilian land in Pachchilaipalli, Kilinochchi, soon after the owners were notified. Some political parties also tried to block officials from the Survey Department and police.

However, the land survey did not proceed as scheduled after the Kilinochchi District Secretary ordered a temporary halt.

NPP Jaffna district MP K. Ilankumaran said he had taken up the matter with government higher-ups, but those elements who tried to use the incident for their advantage were quite disappointed by the last-minute move.

Motor traffic official forced to eat his words, not kiri bath

A senior Motor Traffic Department official was arrested recently by the CID over a fraudulent registration of a vehicle.

Ironically, the same man had in the recent past expressed his happiness and indicated that he felt like eating kiri bath (milk rice) in celebration when a former senior public servant was arrested by the CID and remanded. In a strange twist of fate, the man who wanted to eat ‘kiri bath’ has had to eat his own words and is now behind bars himself.

Herath brokers international wedding deals in Lanka

Minister Herath congratulates the couple

The Tourism Ministry hopes to continue promoting Sri Lanka as a popular wedding destination after the successful conclusion this week of a spectacular international wedding ceremony at the Shangri La Hotel in Hambantota.

Foreign Affairs and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath was in attendance at the grand wedding, which had 300 guests from different parts of the world, including India, Pakistan, the UAE and several other countries.

The multi-day wedding celebrations at the oceanfront resort were hosted by entrepreneur and managing director of Gulf-O-Flex, Rubber World Industry Global, Mujtaba Shaikhani and Dr Hafsha, a renowned aesthetic medicine practitioner from Mumbai, India.

Whether or not Minister Herath was the kapuwa (marriage broker) of the function or the best man at the wedding, he said Sri Lanka was able to successfully host the party after the original venue, Dubai, was unable to make the arrangements due to the ongoing war in the region. “We hope to develop Sri Lanka as an international wedding destination given the unique and picturesque locations we have in the country,” he remarked after returning to Colombo in the early hours of the following day after the festivities.