Category: Daily Financial Times

This Saturday, Victoria Park, Colombo, is the place to be for a day full of shopping, fun, and unique experiences at the Ceylon Flea Market! Whether you’re a fashion lover, a home décor enthusiast, or just looking for a fun day out, this market has something for everyone.

Explore a wide range of high-quality preloved clothes, featuring some of the best brands, perfect for updating your wardrobe sustainably. But the market doesn’t stop at fashion-browse through an eclectic mix of vendors offering wood carving ornaments, ideal for hotels and unique establishments, exquisite Japanese ceramicware, and eco-friendly, sustainable daily products like loofahs, toothbrushes, hair brushes, konjac root sponges, and more.

For those seeking some action, try your hand at ‘Getting to Know Darts’ a fun and beginner-friendly activity where you can throw your very first dart in a relaxed, lively environment. And to keep the energy high, music and entertainment will ensure it’s a funday for everyone.

Don’t miss this opportunity to shop, play, and enjoy a vibrant community.

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a fresh call for investment proposals to lease a prime block of land in Perahera Mawatha, Colombo 3, following the cancellation of a previous lease agreement due to the investor’s failure to meet contractual obligations.

The approval allows the Urban Development Authority (UDA) to invite proposals under the International Competitive Procurement Procedure and to lease the property for 99-years, based on a valuation by the Government Chief Assessor.

The land parcel, measuring 02 roods and 23.1 perches and located on Perahera Mawatha, Kollupitiya was earlier approved for disposal in September 2024 for a mixed development project, including residential components. However, the Standing Negotiations Committee recommended terminating the lease after the selected investor failed to fulfil the agreed development conditions.

Following this, the UDA Board of Management on 4 September 2025 authorised the re-calling of proposals to ensure the land is utilised for a suitable development initiative.

A special Cabinet-appointed committee on UDA land disposal has now endorsed calling for new investment proposals for hotel or commercial development, with the option to allocate up to 50% of the land for residential use.

It is expected that the revised procurement process to attract credible investors capable of executing a high-value project on one of Colombo’s most sought-after urban locations.

The proposal to this effect was submitted by Urban Development Minister Bimal Rathnayake.

The Sri Lanka Junior Open Golf Championship 2025 which was scheduled to take place from 21 to 23 December 2025 at the historic Nuwara Eliya Golf Club, one of the oldest and most scenic golf courses in the country and sponsored by Prima Ceylon Ltd., was postponed due to heavy rain and floods in the Hill Country.

The new date will be notified in due course.

The championship will be divided into four age-based categories to ensure fair competition. The Gold division is open to players aged 15 to 18+ (up to 19 years). The Silver division includes ages 13 to 14+ (up to 15 years), while the Bronze division is for ages 11 to 12+ (up to 13 years). The youngest participants compete in the Copper division, reserved for golfers 10 years old and below.

Authored by Venerable Thambugala Anandasiri Thero in the Sinhala language, the English translation of the book ‘Twenty Five Years of Life in the jungle’ is by Kamala Rajapakse, printed and published by Dayawanse Jayakody and Company – Printers. The overall location we are in is the Kudumbigala forest hermitage (Aranya Senasana) located in the jungles around eight miles west to the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka where Panama is the closest town.

We re-commence from chapter 9 titled Grandpa Samithambi which is about a centenarian, and despite his name indicating otherwise, a Sinhalese, an exorcist and a physician, well known and feared in Panama and elsewhere for his skills which included the ability to use cosmic energy to end mortal lives. The story in this chapter resonates with the human spirit of evolving to its highest potential despite the murkiest of pasts and Grandpa Samithambi who had become a Buddhist monk had a past that could be compared with Angulimala who became a revered monk under the influence of the Buddha. This chapter deals with the astonishment of those who knew Grandpa Samithambi when they heard that he had become a Buddhist Monk and how they regale Ven. Thambugala Anandasiri Thero about his past deeds or rather misdeeds. One man in the outskirts of the jungle had quipped thus to the Venerable Thero: ‘Oh, Reverend Sir. For Quietening such a man as this, you would definitely attain a state no lesser than Buddhahood.’ When the Thero inquired whether he was such a cruel man, the reply had been that the murders done by him amount to the hairs on one’s hand! How did he kill? Was it with clubs or guns? No. It was with the mystic and cosmic linked arts Grandpa Samithambi had learnt from his forefathers. The revelation of the Buddha that everything begins and end with the mind is explained best by the feared Grandpa Samithambi when the Venerable Thero had inquired how he had exactly ‘mystically’ killed people. Grandpa Samithambi, had thus replied. ‘I have not murdered anyone. But when they know of the talismans and incantations in my possessions they fear me.’ He had then listed out some of the ways in which he used to connect energetically with the universe and had noted that the mystic arts he knew were a mere one third of the secret knowledge of his forefathers, reiterating that the negative impact occurs only through the fragility of the mind. For a discerning and introspective reader, it would merit a deep contemplation on the link between the human mind and the living energy of the cosmos. This would also help us understand that everything upon this earth has life and thereby a consciousness. That every intention has a consequence. And that it is this action that is called Karma which we can describe as infinite universal imprints where every word, thought and action in interwoven across time and space and recorded in etheric loops, netting and connecting all of life. Grandpa Samithambi who was the senior most Kapurala of the Ampitiya Devale in Panama gradually transited from that role as he entered into the compassionate path of the Buddha. In one of the conversation with him in this transitional phase, the Venerable Thambugala Anandasiri Thero had explained as follows: ‘Now Grandpa. Learn well this lesson. You are a virtuous man who has found refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and the Sanga. You are one who is respected by God/s,’ The Ven. Thero notes that when he said this that the happiness of Grandpa Samithambi knew no bounds. This chapter merits a deeper reflection on who or what we think are God/s or God or Devas, deserving a deep introspection into the religio lingua of different ‘religions,’ the experiences and histories of the founders of these paths. Now labelled and fought over as ‘religions.’ A thorough comprehension of the cultures/nature/geography/traditions and how they are shaped by the environment (in Sinhala we can say Sobha Dahama – translated as the nature that is spiritual/wise) will require calisthenics of the mind to think and re-think but the time we spend in this pursuit will help us understand that all ‘religions’ begin and end with mother earth and all of the universe, the religious ‘rules’ or faith traditions influenced by the immediate geography of the earth location (eg: If it is a desert with sand storms/arid land/luxurious verdant soil with forests/many creatures of the wild/rivers/seas. When we go through the rest of this book, it will help us to lay a foundation to the link between human consciousness and phenomena linked with earth and its non-human beings.

In chapter 10 the title states The Veddah of Karambagala and we continue to hear the stories the one fearsome Grandpa Samithambi shares with the Ven. Thambugala Anandasiri Thero. The chapter begins with what could only be described as Grandpa Samitambi’s infinite cosmic appetite where he tells the Thero that he consumes (at one meal) 150 maize cobs and a minimum of two ripe jackfruits provided the seeds are baked and eaten at the same time! This would make the reader understand that Grandpa Samithambi needed to eat much of the earth energy through its vegetation offspring to muster the mental stamina for his trysts with the unseen! Incidentally he had also boasted to the Ven. Thero that he could clear areas of jungle land that needs at least six people all by himself, confiding that each tree type or shrub or creeper has a particular times where they can be easily disconnected from their roots.

‘Those who do not know this simply tire themselves,’ Grandpa Samithambi had noted. The conversation then had meandered to the Veddah of Karambagala who used to walay caravans that used to pass through the jungles (this was during the colonial time period). The Veddah was not consummately interested in the riches within the caravans carted by the Sinhalese but he needed the flesh of the bulls who drove those caravans. He also had a fondness for betel and arecanuts which he would pile up in his forest cave. The Veddhah of Karambagala is described as a ‘young ruffian’ which created such a menace that there was a call for his head by the colonial village administrators. He did not harm any of the people but the buffet of caravan bulls were an attractive option and an alternative to hunting.

Apprehending him being impossible, the Rate Mahattaya, the village chief, finally managed to coerce a thug, a wrestler from the village of Halawa who was known to possess the strength of seven or eight men. Lured with a nice meal of rice and betel at the mansion of the Rate Mahattaya, the thug reluctantly accepted the task of capturing the young Veddhah caravan bull eater. He respected the Veddah and there had been much persuasion by the Rate Mahattaya for him to undertake this dubious mission. The village wrestler had finally accepted, requesting manpower assistance of about eight strong men, a rope, betel with arecanuts, tobacco leaves, bark of Nellu leaves and other condiments for a grand chew.

Finally the day arrived for the grand trap that would end the tumultuous life of the Veddha whose name had been Hoora. The village wrestler had genially accosted him in the forest at his rock cave, announcing that he specifically came to meet him to offer him betel and acreanuts. The Veddhah was probably used to being venerated by earth mortals such as himself who possess much strength and live off the grid of society. Therefore beaming that a villager-a fellow youth came to meet him and offer him his favourite goodies he had unsuspiciously indulged in almost everything that was offered-the end effect being intoxication. The wrestler meanwhile was preparing for the grand attack and had picked up the bundle of bows and arrows of the Veddhah, as if examining it and then placing it near the edge of a cliff where he could kick it down when needed. Soon as the betel happy Veddah bent to spit out his chewing, the village thug had delivered a strong blow and then many other whacks. The Veddah although not sober rose to the occasion but finally succumbed to a immobile weak state at which point the eight men selected by the Rate Mahattaya tied him up with the rope they had bought with them. The bundled up Veddah was taken to the Rate Mahattaya as villagers gaped to see the elusive, caravan disrupting Veddah shackled and helpless. The wrestler meanwhile had curtly informed the Rate Mahattaya not to request of him such mean tasks in future and taken his leave abruptly without waiting for any reward or refreshment. The Rate Mahattaya facing the Veddha had appealed him to stay away from Karambagala and caravans that passed through it, promising to demark some areas in the forest where he can hunt freely. He had tried to convince the Veddah for days but the young man of the wild, declaring that life was useless when he was humiliated by being beaten refused all what was offered, bit his fingers in sad and desperate fury and died, not eating a morsel or a drop of water offered by his captor.

Chapter 10 is titled Through Yala to Kutumbigala traces a journey on the road to Situlpawwa, en route, by foot, from a religious mission in Ruhuna and entering the jungle from the Yoda Kandiya. Venerable Thambugala Anandasiri Thero had seven other monks travelling with him and four villagers. As night fell a rock slab was selected to sleep on and the Bandhu Piritha was chanted, considered a powerful protector and used by forest based monks. However in the dense, dark mystery of the jungle punctuated by eerie forest sounds, animal howls and rustling sleep comes scarce. A night prowling bear who had come to investigate the rare presence of so many humans in his territory had placed his muzzle against one of the pilgrims. That had been the end of attempting to sleep in a jungle outside the known caves which although in the thick of the forest were by now recognised by the forest beings as sacred places where monks lived and meditated. The rest of the night was spent in Pirith chanting and Dhamma discussions. In the morning devotees of Yoda Kandiya had arrived in a vehicle and the return to Kitumbigala had continued.

NOTE: The book Twenty Five Years of Life in the Jungle is being serialised as part of the education series commemorating national reading months (September to December) in Sri Lanka. This is an initiative in collaboration with the Residential Library of Healing in Hawa Eliya in Nuwara Eliya. Functioning with a mission to bring humanity back to nature this library, located at the summit of a mountain remains currently under the red zone of the Government. We do not know what the fate of this place would be. Repeated calls to the Commissioner of Nuwara Eliya and the Personal Secretary to the Mayor, to help rescue the books within which has served the nation in many ways including mass communication curricula writing for a national university of Sri Lanka, has remained un-answered. The below link written by a foreign tourist who was a resident of the library has been sent to both the Nuwara Eliya Commissioner and Secretary of the Mayor. It has so far remained unacknowledged. We are looking for a nature surrounded place anywhere in Sri Lanka, to relocate.

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) on Thursday celebrated the country’s top-performing exporters at the 27th Presidential Export Awards (PEA), held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

The prestigious awards, considered the highest national accolade for export excellence, recognised companies that made outstanding contributions to Sri Lanka’s economic growth during the 2024/2025 financial year. This year’s ceremony conferred 107 awards across two major categories-15 overall awards and 92 sectoral awards-alongside merit awards determined by a panel of judges based on applicants’ performance and industry impact.

Sectoral evaluations extended beyond export earnings, taking into account criteria such as market diversification, employment generation, growth momentum, repatriation of export proceeds, environmental sustainability, CSR initiatives and value addition. A significant number of applications were received this year, reflecting the high level of interest and competition within the export community.

The Technical Committee carried out the initial assessments, while a distinguished panel of judges chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge selected the final winners. Ernst and Young (EY) served as the Knowledge Partner for the event.

The Government noted that the Presidential Export Awards align with its policy framework to expand and strengthen Sri Lanka’s export sector. Authorities emphasised the importance of initiatives by exporters in product and market diversification, innovation, brand building, value addition and the development of regional value chains as part of efforts to boost overall export performance in the coming years.

Award winners received a trophy or plaque and a certificate, and they are permitted to use the Presidential Export Awards logo as a promotional tool for three years.

This year’s ceremony was organised by the EDB under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Mangala Wijesinghe, with guidance from Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunneththi, Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe and Ministry Secretary Thilaka Jayasundara. People’s Bank served as the Platinum Sponsor, while the Sri Lanka Tea Board and the Sri Lanka Export Credit Insurance Corporation joined as Silver Sponsors.

Launched in 1981, the Presidential Export Awards program has now honoured export excellence for over four decades. The 27th edition drew around 1,500 attendees, including Cabinet Ministers, diplomats, senior Government officials and leading exporters.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said the Government was committed to rolling out a slew of reforms to help the export sector bridge the competitiveness gap between local producers and global markets.

She reiterated that the Government is taking steps to strengthen local exporters by making trade facilitation, Customs procedures, and investment approvals more efficient, and by improving export services.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing the 27th Presidential Export Awards 2024/25 on Thursday ceremony organised by the Industries and Industrial Development Ministry together with the Export Development Board.

A total of 107 awards including 15 overall awards and 92 sectoral awards for products and services were presented. Merit awards were also presented to eligible sectors based on applicants’ performance and their contribution to national economic development.

Awardees were selected on several criteria such as export market diversification, job creation, growth in export revenue, repatriation of export income, environmental sustainability, institutional social responsibility, and value addition.

Institutions that demonstrated outstanding performance in the export sector were presented with the prestigious Presidential Export Awards for the year under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Industries and Industrial Development Minister Sunil Hadunnetti.

Further expressing her views, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:

‘The Presidential Awards Ceremony for exporters reminds us that Sri Lanka’s progress depends not merely on policies or administration, but on the ability to produce, to create value, and to compete internationally.

Over the past year, we faced numerous challenges. As a result, global markets and supply chains were disrupted. Economic uncertainty prevailed. We faced natural disasters.

Despite this, many exporters had to adjust to these changes, reorganise production processes, diversify customers, and adopt digital technologies in order to remain competitive in the market.

The impact of the Ditwah cyclone also affected several industries within the export sector. Production facilities, storage facilities, and transportation routes in affected areas were damaged. Production chains and delivery schedules were disrupted.

Under such a difficult situation, some exporters experienced significant setbacks while trying to meet international export demands.

The Government is taking steps to support exporters by assessing the damages they suffered due to the emergency situation, restoring their operations, and helping them recover.

The Government is also working to strengthen resilience against future natural disasters and to rebuild affected areas in a way that minimises the risk of similar situations arising again.

Sri Lanka is currently undergoing a new economic transformation.

For many years, instability, policy inconsistencies, and administrative inefficiencies hindered the progress of the country. This weakened investor confidence and made it difficult for businesses to plan ahead.

However, the present Government is committed to governance based on stability, transparency, and accountability. This is not a short-term approach. It is a long-term process to ensure that the country does not fall back into uncertainty.

For this purpose, the Government is implementing strong fiscal management, predictable policies, clear and simplified regulations, anti-corruption measures, major institutional reforms, measures that allow businesses to plan ahead, instil investor confidence, minimise unnecessary barriers, and support the development of the private sector.

For a long time, we relied heavily on international loans to sustain national expenditures. However, this is not leading a path toward a stable future. Our progress depends on our ability to earn through trade, innovation, and global engagement.

Your ability to take Sri Lankan expertise and creativity to the world is a strength for the entire nation. The Government is ready to extend the necessary support to achieve this.

We understand that issues such as policy inconsistencies, delays that increase operational costs, limited access to competitive financing, gaps in infrastructure and technology, weaknesses in trade facilitation, and slow progress in expanding market access have impacted you. I would like to assure you that the Government is directly addressing these challenges.

The focus of the Government has drawn to build efficient, transparent, and predictable systems, streamlining trade facilitation, Customs processes, and investment approvals, improving export facilities, and minimising the gap between local businesses and global markets’.

A site-specific piece performed by Umeshi Rajeendra and documented by Alice Carfrae, highlighting the interplay between body, environment, and spatial storytellingA choreographic dance and movement residency for climate, care and justice will be held online (9-12 January, 2026) and in-person in Colombo (24-31 January, 2026)

MeshGround (Sri Lanka), presents ‘Weathering Grounds,’ a hybrid choreographic research residency in collaboration with Alleyne Dance (UK) and ClimArts (UK/India).

Since its inception, MeshGround – a leading contemporary dance company and movement platform, has become a dynamic hub where dance transforms into a language for dialogue, activism, and critical inquiry. Founded by Umeshi Rajeendra and Shonaka Ranatunga, MeshGround’s creative work spans a range of groundbreaking performances that combine contemporary movement, live sound, poetry, and immersive staging.

MeshGround also operates as a training and research centre, their teaching philosophy emphasises process over perfection, encouraging dancers to experiment across disciplines, from theatre and sound to environmental art and social inquiry. In doing so, MeshGround reimagines dance as both deeply personal and profoundly communal.

The Weathering Grounds residency is another initiative that typifies MeshGround’s passion for nurturing the next generation of movement artists in Sri Lanka. The residency invites choreographers, dancers, and performance and movement artists based in Sri Lanka to take part in an immersive creative programme exploring how movement, dance, and performance can embody solutions, resilience, care, and justice in a rapidly changing world.

‘Weathering Grounds is a space to explore that through creativity, collaboration, and care – where movement becomes a language for resilience and reimagination’ explains MeshGround Co-Founder and Artistic Director Umeshi Rajeendra. ‘We’re inviting artists to respond to one of the most urgent questions of our time-how can our bodies, our art, and our movement become part of the solution?’

Weathering Grounds combines an online lab (9-12 January, 2026) and an in-person intensive in Colombo (24-31 January, 2026).

Participants will engage in workshops, collaborative experiments, and choreographic research, guided by international and local facilitators. ClimArts Founder Neelambaree Prasad, details how participants will: ‘Work together on stories of post-conflict and climate change. Through the residency, participants will be upskilled to harness the potency of art as a powerful medium of communicating climate solutions.’

The residency is supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture (CTC) Program which supports artistic collaboration between the UK and countries in the Asia-Pacific and Europe. The grants support collaborative projects between artists, creative practitioners and arts organisations, fostering cross-cultural exchange and lasting relationships.

British Council Sri Lanka Country Director Orlando Edwards said, ‘I am thrilled that the CTC Grant Program has attracted such a rich and diverse portfolio of applications – proof of strength of the Sri Lankan cultural scene. I look forward to the fruition of this UK/Sri Lanka arts collaboration which hopes to create socially conscientious and inspiring art.’

Alleyne Dance in the UK Co-Founder Sadé Alleyne, underlines her company’s deep commitment to nurturing and empowering artists: ‘Weathering Grounds aligns beautifully with our values, placing creativity, care, and community at the heart of practice. We are honoured to be part of this important residency in Sri Lanka, and to share in an exchange that celebrates resilience, embodied storytelling, and collective strength.’

The Weathering Grounds Residency is completely free of charge, and welcomes artists at all stages of their careers and across diverse disciplines, techniques, and movement forms. It especially encourages applications from artists belonging to historically marginalised or structurally excluded communities, as well as those whose work engages with climate justice, social justice, or post-conflict themes. Artists based outside Colombo will be provided with accommodation during the in-person residency.

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) on Thursday celebrated the country’s top-performing exporters at the 27th Presidential Export Awards (PEA), held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

The prestigious awards, considered the highest national accolade for export excellence, recognised companies that made outstanding contributions to Sri Lanka’s economic growth during the 2024/2025 financial year. This year’s ceremony conferred 107 awards across two major categories-15 overall awards and 92 sectoral awards-alongside merit awards determined by a panel of judges based on applicants’ performance and industry impact.

Sectoral evaluations extended beyond export earnings, taking into account criteria such as market diversification, employment generation, growth momentum, repatriation of export proceeds, environmental sustainability, CSR initiatives and value addition. A significant number of applications were received this year, reflecting the high level of interest and competition within the export community.

The Technical Committee carried out the initial assessments, while a distinguished panel of judges chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge selected the final winners. Ernst and Young (EY) served as the Knowledge Partner for the event.

The Government noted that the Presidential Export Awards align with its policy framework to expand and strengthen Sri Lanka’s export sector. Authorities emphasised the importance of initiatives by exporters in product and market diversification, innovation, brand building, value addition and the development of regional value chains as part of efforts to boost overall export performance in the coming years.

Award winners received a trophy or plaque and a certificate, and they are permitted to use the Presidential Export Awards logo as a promotional tool for three years.

This year’s ceremony was organised by the EDB under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Mangala Wijesinghe, with guidance from Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunneththi, Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe and Ministry Secretary Thilaka Jayasundara. People’s Bank served as the Platinum Sponsor, while the Sri Lanka Tea Board and the Sri Lanka Export Credit Insurance Corporation joined as Silver Sponsors.

Launched in 1981, the Presidential Export Awards program has now honoured export excellence for over four decades. The 27th edition drew around 1,500 attendees, including Cabinet Ministers, diplomats, senior Government officials and leading exporters.

The Commonwealth Games Association of Sri Lanka (CGA Sri Lanka) has officially announced the cancellation of the King’s Baton Relay 2026’s Sri Lankan leg. The event, originally scheduled from 28 November to 3 December 2025, was called off due to the unprecedented destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah in the country.

The cyclone, which struck the island on 27 November, brought severe loss of life, widespread displacement, and extensive damage across multiple regions. In the wake of this national tragedy, CGA Sri Lanka made the decisive choice to prioritise humanitarian needs over all scheduled ceremonial activities.

Although all operational plans and logistics for the relay had been fully finalised, the organisation redirected its resources, manpower, and funding to support communities impacted by the disaster. Relief efforts were carried out in coordination with national partners and recognised agencies to ensure maximum effectiveness.

Commonwealth Sport was promptly notified and fully endorsed the decision, acknowledging the urgent humanitarian situation. The wellbeing and safety of the nation were placed above all else.

While Sri Lanka continues its preparations for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, CGA Sri Lanka remains committed to aiding recovery efforts and supporting affected communities during this difficult period.

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a fresh call for investment proposals to lease a prime block of land in Perahera Mawatha, Colombo 3, following the cancellation of a previous lease agreement due to the investor’s failure to meet contractual obligations.

The approval allows the Urban Development Authority (UDA) to invite proposals under the International Competitive Procurement Procedure and to lease the property for 99-years, based on a valuation by the Government Chief Assessor.

The land parcel, measuring 02 roods and 23.1 perches and located on Perahera Mawatha, Kollupitiya was earlier approved for disposal in September 2024 for a mixed development project, including residential components. However, the Standing Negotiations Committee recommended terminating the lease after the selected investor failed to fulfil the agreed development conditions.

Following this, the UDA Board of Management on 4 September 2025 authorised the re-calling of proposals to ensure the land is utilised for a suitable development initiative.

A special Cabinet-appointed committee on UDA land disposal has now endorsed calling for new investment proposals for hotel or commercial development, with the option to allocate up to 50% of the land for residential use.

It is expected that the revised procurement process to attract credible investors capable of executing a high-value project on one of Colombo’s most sought-after urban locations.

The proposal to this effect was submitted by Urban Development Minister Bimal Rathnayake.