Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

Justice K. Sripavan, the senior judge in the Supreme Court took his oaths as the new Chief Justice before President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat today (30). 

Justice Sripavanwas born on 29 February 1952. He was educated at Jaffna Hindu College between 1962 and 1972. He joined Ceylon Law College in 1974 and passed out as an attorney at law in 1976, obtaining a first class in the Intermediate Examination. 

Read more: New Chief Justice sworn in

Canadian Government said it welcomed the reinstatement of Shirani Bandaranayake as Chief Justice of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court. 

“Canada welcomes the reinstatement of Shirani Bandaranayake as Chief Justice of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court. In January 2013, at the time of the Chief Justice’s impeachment, I expressed deep concern about the opaque and politicized nature of her impeachment, an action that severely undermined the legitimacy of the rule of law in Sri Lanka,” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said.

Read more: Canada welcomes reinstatement of Shirani as CJ

CJ 43 says her fight was battle for judicial independence, integrity

On her final day on the bench of the Supreme Court, 24 hours after her reinstatement as lawful Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake speaks out for the first time on the ‘turmoil and peril’ of the past two years since her impeachment. She told the ceremonial chamber that was packed to capacity that over the past 746 days since the impeachment watching the downfall of the Supreme Court had been as painful of the personal impact of her unlawful sacking.

Former Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake resigned from her post yesterday – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara

Read more: Shirani’s swansong

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera held talks with visiting British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Hugo Swire at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today. Minister Swire stated that the purpose of his visit was to convey the UK Government’s desire to work closely with the newly elected government of President Maithripala Sirisena and to convey a special message from Prime Minister David Cameron. 

Read more: British Foreign Office Minister Swire meets Minister Samaraweera

Foreign Minister Samaraweera with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Didier Reynders

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, concluded a two day official visit to Brussels today.

Foreign Minister Samaraweera met Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Didier Reynders and members of the European Parliament. He also held talks with the European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs & Fisheries, Mr. Karmenu Vella, and the European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Mr. Neven Mimica.

Read more: Foreign Minister Samaraweera visits Brussels

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera will start an official tour in Europe today. Accordingly, he will first reach Brussels in Belgium. He expects to meet members of the European Union and to discuss the export of fish from Sri Lanka to Europe.

The European commission has temporarily suspended importing fish from Sri Lanka under the charges of Sri Lanka being engaged in illegal fishing disregarding international conditions. The European commission has influenced Sri Lanka to take measures to stop illegal fishing in the Sri Lankan waters. Sri Lanka was the second major supplier of tuna and sword fish to European region.

Source: www.news.lk

President Maithripala Sirisena said that the term of office of the President of Sri Lanka will be reduced to five years from the original six.

“I had insisted that the terms of the Presidency be reduced to four years though the Committee of Constitutional Experts and political leaders did not agree with my demand,” the President said addressing public officials of the Polonnaruwa district at the Thopawewa school grounds on Sunday.

“They said that holding a Presidential Election every four years was not good for the country,” he said.

The President added that they later came to the consensus that the term of the Presidency should be confined to five years due to his strong insistence.

Read more: Presidential term limited to five years - President