Transport in Sri Lanka is based on its road network, which is centred on the country's commercial capital Colombo. A rail network handles a portion of Sri Lanka's transport needs. There are navigable waterways, harbours and three international airports: in Katunayake, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Colombo, in Hambantota, and in Jaffna.
The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP, is a centre-right political party in Sri Lanka. The UNP has served as the country's ruling party, or as part of its governing coalition, for 38 of the country's 74 years of independence. This includes the periods 1947–1956, 1965–1970, 1977–1994, 2001–2004, 2015–2019 and 2022–Present. The party also controlled the executive presidency from its formation in 1978 until 1994 and the current President Ranil Wickremasinghe is the leader of the party.
Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, commonly known as Sirimavo Bandaranaike (මැතිනිය), was a Sri Lankan politician. She was the world's first female prime minister when she became Prime Minister of Sri Lanka in 1960. She chaired the Sri Lanka Freedom Party from 1960 to 1994 and served three terms as prime minister, two times as the chief executive, 1960 to 1965 and 1970 to 1977, and once again in a presidential system from 1994 to 2000, governing under the presidency of her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga.
Mahinda Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, and 2019 to 2022; the Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2004 and 2018 to 2019, and the Minister of Finance from 2005 to 2015 and 2019 to 2021. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kurunegala since 2015.
Junius Richard Jayewardene, commonly abbreviated in Sri Lanka as J.R., was the leader of Sri Lanka from 1977 to 1989, serving as Prime Minister from 1977 to 1978 and as the second President of Sri Lanka from 1978 to 1989. He was a leader of the nationalist movement in Ceylon who served in a variety of cabinet positions in the decades following independence. A longtime member of the United National Party, he led it to a landslide victory in 1977 and served as Prime Minister for half a year before becoming the country's first executive president under an amended constitution.
Anura Priyadarshi Solomon Dias Bandaranaike was a Sri Lankan politician, served as Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka (2000-2001) and Leader of the Opposition (1983–1988). He held several cabinet ministries as Foreign Minister briefly in 2005, Minister of Higher Education (1993–1994), Minister of Tourism, Minister of National Heritage (2007) and he last served as a member of parliament from the opposition.
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is one of the major and most well known political parties in Sri Lanka. It was founded by S.W.R.D Bandaranaike in 1951 and, since then, has been one of the two largest parties in the Sri Lankan political arena. It first came to power in 1956 and since then has been the predominant party in government on a number of occasions. The party is generally considered as having a democratic socialist or progressive economic agenda and is often associated with nationalist Sinhalese parties. The party follows a Non-Aligned foreign policy but always had close ties to socialist nations. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is a Second Main constituent party in the Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance.
Dudley Shelton Senanayake 19 June 1911 – 13 April 1973), was a Sri Lankan statesman who served as Prime Minister of Ceylon from 1952 to 1953, in 1960 and from 1965 to 1970 and Leader of the Opposition from 1960 to 1964. Senanayake's tenures as prime minister were associated with democratic socialist policies focused on agricultural and educational reforms with a pro-western alignment.
His Excellency Mahinda Buddhadasa Samarasinghe, is a former MP and the current Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States of America, Mexico and High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago. He was formerly a member of Parliament under Gotabaya Rajapaksa's Government, and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna chief organiser for the Panadura Electorate in the Kalutara District.
Japan–Sri Lanka relations refers to the bilateral relations between the Sri Lanka and Japan.
George Rajapaksa was a Sri Lankan politician. He was the former Cabinet Minister of Health, Fisheries and a Member of Parliament.
Ronald Joseph Godfrey de Mel is a Sri Lankan civil servant and a politician. civil servant. He was the Cabinet Minister of Finance from 1977 to 1988 United National Party government and was instrumental in the establishment of the free market economy in Sri Lanka. He was a Member of Parliament from the Matara District in the Parliament of Sri Lanka until 2004. He had served as a Senior Adviser to President.
The Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the head and most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's executive branch behind the president, who is the constitutional chief executive. The Cabinet is collectively held accountable to parliament for their policies and actions.
Prematilaka Mapitigama, also known as K. W. M. P. Mapitigama, was a senior Sri Lankan civil servant, author and a publisher. As the Secretary to President J. R. Jayewardene, Mapitigama was one of the highest ranking public servants in the government of Sri Lanka. At the time of his death he was serving as the Secretary General of J.R. Jayewardene Center at 191 Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 7. Mapitigama succeeded W.M. P. B. Menikdiwela as the Secretary to President J. R. Jayewardene in 1988 and continued until the demise of the late president on 1 November 1996. He also authored and published a number of books both in Sinhalese and in English.
Colombo - Katunayake Expressway E03 is Sri Lanka's second E Class highway. The 25.8-kilometre-long (16.0 mi) highway links the Sri Lankan capital Colombo with Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake and Negombo. Construction on the highway began in October 2009, and it was opened on 27 October 2013, by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. The highway has three lanes each way from Colombo to Peliyagoda, and two lanes each way from Peliyagoda to Katunayake, with the width ranging from 26 to 33.5 metres.
The Ministry of Transport and Highways is the central government ministry of Sri Lanka responsible for transport. The ministry is responsible for formulating and implementing national policy on transport and other subjects which come under its purview. The current Minister of Transport and Highways is Bandula Gunawardane. The ministry's secretary is Nihal Somaweera.
The Central Expressway (E04), is an under construction road project that will link the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, with Dambulla & Kandy. It will provide a fast alternative to the existing A1 Colombo - Kandy & A6 Ambepussa - Trincomalee Highways. The Expressway starts at the Kadawatha Interchange on the E02 Outer Circular Expressway and ends in Dambulla at the A9 Kandy - Jaffna Highway, traversing through Gampaha, Kurunegala & Matale Districts. A link Expressway starting from Pothuhera & ending in Galagedara will provide access to the Kandy District.
The Mahaweli Development program is known as the largest multipurpose national development program in the history of Sri Lanka and is also considered as the keystone of the government's development program that was initiated in 1961.
Sirisena Amarasekara is a Sri Lankan public servant and diplomat. He is the former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Angola, Botswana, and Eswatin. He had functioned as the secretary to the Prime Minister on two occasions, and as the secretary to the Cabinet of Sri Lanka. Having completed more than 50 years of public service, Amarasekara is one of the most senior Sri Lankan public servants.
