Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 21 -- Ministry of Defence and Urban Development issued the following news release: Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), attended a reception hosted by the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, H.E. Mr. Santosh Jha, at the Indian House in Colombo last evening (20 August), in honour of the Indian and Sri Lankan men's cricket teams participating in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship series. The occasion provided an opportunity for the pl...
Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 21 -- Ministry of Defence and Urban Development issued the following news release: President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed the security forces to expedite the release and return of lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces that were taken over during the conflict and have now been identified as no longer required for security purposes. The President issued these instructions while participating in a discussion held at the Parliamentary Complex today (20) on exp...
Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 21 -- Ministry of Defence and Urban Development issued the following news release: The Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), chaired a meeting at the Ministry of Defence on 20 August to assess the potential impacts of El Niño on Sri Lanka and review measures to enhance preparedness and response to possible weather-related challenges. The meeting mainly focused on the current situation, forecasts and predictions relating to El Niño, i...
Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 21 -- Sri Lanka Air Force issued the following news release: The Fire and Rescue Service of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) successfully conducted the Annual Fire Evacuation Drill at the Headquarters of Development Holding (Pvt) Ltd (DHPL), Nawam Mawatha, Colombo 02, on 21 August 2026, with the aim of enhancing emergency preparedness, strengthening inter-agency coordination and assessing operational readiness in high-rise fire and rescue scenarios. The exercise was cond...
Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 21 -- Sri Lanka Air Force issued the following news release: The Change of Command at No 5 Fighter Squadron, SLAF Base Katunayake was held on 20 August 2026 where Group Captain SMMMM Senanayake WWV, RSP and Three Bars, USP, MMS (Mil Com-PRC), BSc (Mgt), AMITD (SL), psc, qfi handed over the command to Wing Commander MDR Perera MLRHRM, BSc (Mgt), qfi. The traditional handing over taking over parade was conducted at the squadron premises with the participation of squadron ...
Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 20 -- Ministry of Defence and Urban Development issued the following news release: The 19th International Research Conference (IRC) of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) commenced today (20 August) at KDU, with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya gracing the inaugural session as the Chief Guest. Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd), and Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), also attended the ope...
Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 20 -- Ministry of Defence and Urban Development issued the following news release: The Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd) chaired a discussion on streamlining Research and Development (R&D) within the Tri Forces in coordination with the Centre for Defence Research and Development (CDRD) at his office on Monday (17 Aug). The discussion focused on developing a coordinated mechanism to strengthen defence research and innovation in line wit...
Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 20 -- Ministry of Defence and Urban Development issued the following news release: The annual "Aegis Lexicon 2026" Defence Cyber Exposition, organised by the Defence Cyber Command (DCC) of the Ministry of Defence, was held on 19 August at the Ministry of Defence, with the participation of Deputy Minister of Defence Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd) as the Chief Guest. Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) was also present at the occasion. Ad...
Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 20 -- Sri Lanka Air Force issued the following news release: Responding to a request from the Police OIC Puvarasankulam, the Fire & Rescue Team of SLAF Base Vavuniya, comprising one officer and four firefighters, successfully brought a large-scale forest fire near the University of Vavuniya under control on 19 August 2026. Acting swiftly upon receiving the information in the late afternoon, the team proceeded to the location under the guidance of Base Commander SLAF Ba...
Colombo, Sri Lanka, Aug. 20 -- Sri Lanka Air Force issued the following news release: The 19th International Research Conference (IRC) of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) commenced on 20 August 2026, with Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, attending the inaugural session. The conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya as Chief Guest, under the theme "From Crisis to Opportunity: Reimagining Governance, Infrastructure,...