News
Lifetime Achievement Awards
This year the Life Time Achievement Award will be presented to the following senior journalists who have served the profession.
Mr. Daya Lankapura
Mr. Daya Lankapura, has served in the media field for over 55 years. He began his journalistic career at the Aththa newspaper as a reporter in 1966 while studying at the Colombo University. He joined the daily Divana editorial staff of the Upali Newspapers Limited at its inception and served there as parliamentary and political reporter. Subsequently, he joined Lake House briefly as the deputy editor for the Dinamina in 1994 and later associate editor, Silumina and editor of Janatha from May 1994 to May 2004. He later accepted the post of news editor, Sunday Rivira. He also served as Night Editor, Lakbima, News Editor, Irudina, News Editor and Editorial Adviser to Divaina. During this period he was editor of the Information Department’s web site, news.lk until July 2020. He has followed journalism courses in the Western Ontario University in Canada, Bradford University, Britain and the Media Training Institute in South Korea. He is currently a visiting lecturer at the mass media section of the Sri Pali Campus of the University of Colombo.
Mr. A .D. Ranjith Kumara
Mr. A. D. Ranjith Kumara, held the post of Editor in the weekly newspapers of Sarasaviya and Sarasi. He has been associated with journalism for five decades especially in the field of Cinema. He is a past student of Carey College and Ananda College, Colombo. Some of the books he wrote include: Kosgashandiya, Gamini Hela Cinemawe Sakvithi, Rukmani Devi Yugayaka Swarna Geethaya, Sinhala Cinemawe Ridi Rekava and Nova Paraniya Lipi Saranaiya. He has also served as a member on the Advisory Board of the State Literary Awards, Chief Organiser of the Sarasaviya Film Festival and the Sumathi Telefilm Festival. At Sumathi Group of Companies, he held the post of Working Director. He has also received the Ranapala Bodinagoda Cinema Literary Memorial Award, Cyril C. Perera Memorial Award. OCIC Award and the Sumathipala Memorial Award. He is a historian who researchers cinema. In 2017, he received the Presidential Award for Cinema Literature by the National Film Corporation.
Mr. Ponniah Manikavasagam
Mr. Ponniah Manikavasagam known as P. Manikavasagam is a veteran journalist who worked amidst trying conditions for Virakesari for over four decades. His reporting on the conflict from the conflict zone was trues and accurate thereby earning the respect from both the local and foreign media. He was stringer for the BBC for 25 years until the BBC Tamil Radio Service was suspended in 2016 and Reuters for 10 years. He also had filed stories as a Sri Lanka Correspondent for Asia Calling of Indonesia and American Free Speech Radio News both web radios for several years. He has also won the Northeastern Provincial Governor’s Award for journalism, the Kalabooshana Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Mrs. Chitra Weerarathna
The Island journalist Mrs. Chitra Weerarathna had her primary and secondary education at Visakha Vidyalaya, Bambalapitiya, she earned a degree in natural sciences from the Colombo University before Chitra, as she is popularly known among scribes, cut her teeth in journalism at the now defunct Sun newspaper of the Independent Newspapers Group. She joined The Island in the early 90s and quickly carved a niche in the court rounds and no court was too small or too big for her, for the subject was literally in her blood being a daughter of late Supreme Court Justice T. A. De S. Wijesundera. On top of that two of her sisters too had followed in their father’s footsteps. Chitra’s late husband, Dr. Susil Weerarathna was a lecturer in Chemical Engineering at the Moratuwa University.
Mr. P. B. Elangasinha
Mr. P. B. Elangasinha is an old boy of Dharmaraja College, Kandy. He joined Janatha Editorial of The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd (Lake House) as a trainee reporter in 1965. He moved to the Silumina Editorial in 1970 and assumed duties as a Sub-Editor under Mr. S. Subasinghe, Editor of Silumina. He became the Deputy Editor of Silumina in 1985. He then moved over to the Wijeya Group and joined Irida Lankadeepa Editorial in January 1995 and is at present its Deputy Editor.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
