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Shake-up in govt. positions: Ranil’s secretary removed
View(s):Top government positions have begun to change after the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister on Friday.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s secretary Saman Ekanayake, a Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) officer, was removed by a special gazette notification.
Mr. Ekanayake said he was not informed about the removal, but he was made aware after he was told that the Government Printer’s Department had posted the gazette notification announcing his removal. S. Amarasekara, a former Administrative Service officer, has been appointed as secretary to the newly appointed Prime Minister Rajapaksa.
Soon after, the Government Information Department’s Director General Sudharshana Gunawardena was also removed. Nalaka Kaluwewa , an additional secretary at the President’s office was appointed as acting DG. Mr Gunwardena was away on an overseas visit. Meanwhile, secretaries to several ministries also due to be changed in the coming few weeks.
The President’s office yesterday informed heads of departments, state banks, statutory bodies and corporations that the Cabinet stood dissolved and that a new Prime Minister had been appointed.