Priyanga Hettiarachi

Opinions are personal and likes/retweets are not necessarily endorsements.

[Krautbursche @krautbursche]

@space_homer My favorite one is the awkward handshake

[Priyanga Hettiarachi @PriHett]

Report requested and due to CoPF, delivered.

https://t.co/y5uVS9UKrv

[NewsWire 🇱🇰 @NewsWireLK]

The report on the controversial transfer of US$2.5 million Treasury Funds intended for an Australian company to an unauthorized third party has been submitted to the Committee on Public Finance (COPF).

D: https://t.co/96yKpMFqlr

[Priyanga Hettiarachi @PriHett]

Another example of a parl c'ee holding govt to account. Conventional and smart exercise of parl's summoning/ inquiring powers can deliver value to citizens.

Reportedly the Minister assures govt co-operation.

[Ada Derana @adaderana]

Parliamentary Committee to probe USD 2.5 million Treasury theft allegation

Read more: https://t.co/2cOfWQq5HT

#lka #srilanka #adaderana #news #lanka #srilankanews #theft

[Priyanga Hettiarachi @PriHett]

A Parl C'ee Chair plays a key part.

Done well, a cross-party C'ee's role is valuable. Chair notes non-partisan performance of members.

Some statutory lapses are noted. If significant, they'll add to pressure on Treasury head.

https://t.co/Q92k3KMMsQ

[Harsha de Silva @HarshadeSilvaMP]

After my absolute refusal to accept postponement of the summons, the Secretary to Treasury and senior officials attended the COPF meeting along w @CBSL. All members of the Commitee were present and participated in the meeting in a most professional manner immaterial of political affiliations.

It was revealed that 10 payments totalling USD 2.5m had been robbed from the treasury from Oct 25 through Jan 26.

Notwithstanding red flags being raised the process had continued and officials had made payments upon approvals being obtained from multiple reporting layers. We were astonished to find the massive gaps in procedure which had been manipulated to commit this crime over four months. Serious questions remain as to why audits did not pick up the tell tale discrepancies.

While it is the duty of law enforcement to track down criminals our responsibility is to continue oversight on public finance in general and in this case debt repayment in particular. On that count, I took the strong position that it was the duty of the Treasury to inform us and not be told by outsiders. Their excuse of sensitive nature of the matter etc was not accepted.

ST had obligations under several Acts and FRs to inform the FIU within 48 hours, to get an initial report within 7 days and have the complete report submitted to Auditor General and Parliament within 3 months etc. While there is discrepancy on when exactly the Treasury found out about the crime, they informed us that they had initiated all such action, evidence for which we directed the officials to submit to us along with all relevant details.

Next session on the matter will be held in four weeks at which point we will decide on further action.

#SriLanka #cybercrime

[Bryan Johnson @bryan_johnson]

Jet lag increased my biological age by ~13 years.

> as measured by grip strength
> pre-travel: 141 lbs, grip age 48, ~98th percentile
> post-travel: 125 lbs, grip age 61, ~98th percentile

Traveled across 7 time zones, Los Angeles to Australia.

Grip strength predicts mortality better than almost anything you can measure at home.

A published study of a comparable eastbound flight found the same pattern, about a 7% morning drop.

[Bryan Johnson @bryan_johnson]

@search_kaizen yes, even though it will bounce back in a few days, the biological cost of travel is not a price tag that people are aware of. We're still awaiting results on other things we measured, however the data on travel-related biological insult is much greater than most assume.

[L A H M E H D A H 🌟💯❤ @HammedOlayemi17]

@abylurv Traveling in 2005:

Take 24 photos
Show them to friends

Traveling in 2026:

Take 2,400 photos
Edit 300
Post 20
Delete 100
Never look at them again

[Abiola @abylurv]

Check 17 visa requirements
Download 6 airline apps
Upload passport verification
Buy an eSIM
Watch 42 TikToks about scams
Still panic at check-in

Add yours too 👇🏾

[Abiola @abylurv]

Traveling in 2005:

Print your boarding pass
Bring a guidebook
Show up at the airport
Get on the plane

Traveling in 2026:

[Department of State @StateDept]

Ideological conditioning and two-tiered policing are glaring symptoms of civilizational decline. They must be rejected across the West.

The United States sends our condolences to the family of Henry Nowak and the people of the United Kingdom at this troubling time.

[Acyn @Acyn]

Trump: If I did meet with the new Ayatollah, I would be honored to meet him.

Doocy: Do you think because Epic Fury killed his killed his dad and his wife and his kid that he's has hard feelings?

Trump: I would say I'm not his favorite person, but with that being said, he's probably a pro—I don't know him—he's probably a professional in some circles, he has a very good reputation actually, you know, sometimes when people say bad, but a lot of people say bad about me . It's totally false, of course.

[Ranga Sirilal @rangaba]

The state wants Sallay examined by a government medical panel over lawyers' suicidal claims.Irony: DSG Peeris says Sallay now has nightmares over how he treated Shani Abeysekara, after keeping him incarcerated 10+ months himself under @GotabayaR .

[Ranga Sirilal @rangaba]

Suresh Sallay was served patties, milk, fish oil, vitamin C, icing cake, egg rice and coconut toffee in CID custody despite claims of mistreatment, CID tells court. He now reports memory loss, unable to recall phone or laptop passwords. Court decision put off for June 10.

[Priyanga Hettiarachi @PriHett]

@nHiRanZ Impressive. And the upgrade is the cabinet or more bottles?

[Azat @AzatAlsalim]

Outrage in Japan!

“A 73-year-old grandpa got his hands and feet tied up by three Sri Lankan immigrants, beaten black and blue, and had his wallet and smartphone stolen.
Immigration policy failures have reached this point.”

[BBC News (World) @BBCWorld]

US House votes to halt Iran war, in rebuke to Trump https://t.co/TzQLioKVVE

[NewsWire 🇱🇰 @NewsWireLK]

Funds collected under the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ initiative have remained entirely unutilised and are currently held in a separate account at the Treasury, officials from the Auditor General’s Department informed the Committee on Public Finance (COPF).

The matter arose during a recent COPF meeting, where committee members sought clarification on the status, management and auditing of the initiative, which has been publicly referred to as the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ fund.

Committee Chairman Harsha de Silva questioned whether such a fund formally exists, noting concerns over transparency and accountability.

“We have seen reports on the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ fund, but to my knowledge, no such fund exists. Where have the donors’ funds been deposited? How is it audited?” he asked.

An official from the Auditor General’s Department explained that although a Cabinet decision had been taken in 2025 to establish the initiative, it had never been formally created as a statutory fund under the law. As a result, donations were deposited into a DST account maintained by the General Treasury.

“All the money that came in is currently held in a special Treasury account. Not a single cent has been used,” an Auditor General’s Department official told the committee.

The official further stated that the department had verified the account balance through audit procedures and confirmed that the funds remained untouched as of the latest audit review.

During the discussion, de Silva stressed that the initiative should not be referred to as a “fund” until it is formally established through the required legal process.

While the names of donors and the amounts contributed are publicly accessible on an official website, COPF members questioned why the funds have not been utilised for their intended purpose. (Newswire)

[Priyanga Hettiarachi @PriHett]

Metrics like these can be useful. And credit if legislative outputs are contributing to citizen outcomes

A qualitative lens to assessments like this would strengthen it, even if it may be partial to some subjectivity. For eg 19A & RTI were significant governance reforms in 2015

[NewsWire 🇱🇰 @NewsWireLK]

AKD government passes more laws than Maithripala at 18-month mark: Report https://t.co/abP6WRjAwk

[Open Source Intel @Osint613]

Reporter: How do you define ceasefire?

Trump: In that part of the world, ceasefire is when you're shooting in a more moderate manner

[Steven Swinford @Steven_Swinford]

BREAKING

Donald Trump wanted a personalised red dispatch box as a gift from Keir Starmer

Sir Olly Robbins, the then permanent sec at the Foreign Office, said it would 'mean the most' to Trump

The suggestion was that it should have a gold crest and lettering 'mimicking' a government ministerial box but with 'President of the United States' inscribed

Robbins had concerns

What became of the box is unclear

It was 'commercially costed, designed and the manufacturer gave a lead time of 8-10 weeks

The discussion around the box - and discussions with the manufacturer - appears to have engulfed the most senior levels of government. There are dozens of emails about it involving Robbins, McSweeney, other senior figures in No 10...

[Priyanga Hettiarachi @PriHett]

Excellent, esp given significance of electoral laws and franchise being central to our sovereignty.

Helps mainstream public/community/civil society/expert consultation, and opportunities to input, on important topics, as part of parliamentary committee work.

[DailyMirror @Dailymirror_SL]

Parliamentary Select Committee invites public proposals on review of election laws
Read more 👇https://t.co/3F5V2HdXH3

[Aaron West @oeste]

w-where are y’all going?