Commemoration ceremonies on behalf of both local and foreign victims will be organized across the country today (26) as has been the practice since 2005, Pradeep Koddipili, the Director at the Disaster Management Center told News 1st on Saturday (Dec. 26).

Religious observances will be held this time around with limited participation, in adherence to COVID-19 guidelines.

Sunday, 26th December 2004 remains unforgettable for all Sri Lankans as the ‘Boxing Day Tsunami’ caused by a series of earthquakes severely destroyed the coastal belt of the island.

The Sumatra–Andaman earthquake on 26th December 2004, with a magnitude of 9.1 on the Richter scale in the sea near Sumatra, Indonesia, created a series of massive tsunami waves that struck Sri Lanka and neighboring states India, Indonesia, the Maldives, and Thailand, among others.

An estimated figure of more than 227,000 people along the surrounding coasts of the Indian Ocean lost their lives, making the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami the deadliest natural disaster in the 21st century, according to foreign reports.

Since many Sri Lankans did not have any previous experience with a natural disaster of this kind, the damage was beyond imagination with thousands displaced and killed within a short time.

The impact of the Tsunami which struck in 2004, continues to live on, even 16 years since the devastation.

A Cabinet Memorandum titled “National Safety Day” was approved in 2005, to declare December 26th as a day to commemorate the people who perished in the 2004 tsunami.

The children were born to a 29-year-old woman residing in the Kuppiyawatta area, Hospital Director Dr. Sagarika Kiriwandeniya said.

The woman, who gave birth for the first time, is currently being treated in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit following cesarean delivery.

The quadruplets are two girls and two boys.

The hospital director further said about a week ago after the woman was admitted to the hospital, a PCR test confirmed that she was infected with COVID-19, but she was safely treated as she was about to give birth to quadruplets.

LOLC Holdings PLC’s strategic investment arm, Browns Investments PLC (BI), yesterday acquired the controlling stake of 55.65% of Serendib Hotel PLC (Serendib) for a consideration of Rs. 792 million, the

company said in a statement. 

With this acquisition, BI will hold 56.67% of voting shares and 53.48% non-voting shares of Serendib. The investment was made by BI’s subsidiary leisure company, Eden Hotel Lanka PLC.

“The carefully-executed investment strategy of BI with a focus in the leisure sector building the optimum footprint is well positioned to capture the post-COVID growth in the tourism business. 

Building the construction business with complementary businesses and growth in the agriculture and plantations with expansion into value chain development will position Browns Investments as a strong and robust diversified Group within the LOLC Group with strong shareholder value creation in the medium to long term,” said Browns Investments Chairman Ishara Nanayakkara.

With this investment, BI will add Club Hotel Dolphin, Hotel Sigirya, Avani Bentota Resort and Lantern Beach Collection, Mirissa along with their management companies to BI’s existing leisure portfolio, The Eden Resort & Spa in Beruwala, The Paradise Resort & Spa in Dambulla, The Calm Resort & Spa in Passikudah and Dickwella Resort & Spa, Sheraton Kosgoda Turtle Beach Resort managed by the Marriott Group and Riverina Resort in Beruwala with 375 keys, which is under construction.

In the Maldives, BI’s leisure properties under construction includes, Nasandhura Palace Hotel in the city of Malé and Bodufinolhu in the Ari Atol. Nasandhura Palace is in the most coveted location in the city, nearing completion and will be ready for occupancy in the year 2021 and is a mixed development consisting of 118 luxury apartments, a five-star hotel with 135 keys and an upscale mall with shopping and entertainment. Bodufinolhu, an international four-star property, once ready for commercial operations in 2021 will have a mix of water villas, beach villas and beach suites accounting for 100 keys.

The Group also has the lease rights to three islands reclaimed in North Malé, Bodufaru, Kaafu Atol, to be developed as three five-star properties with a total of 470 keys. 

BI entered into a management agreement with Barceló, one of the largest global hotel operator chains to manage The Eden Resort and Spa, The Paradise Resort and Spa, Nasandhura and Bodufinolhu. Further, Barceló is to make an equity investment of 30% into the development of Bodufaru three island project.

The new investment will expand the leisure footprint of BI and the company is of the view that this will be a strong growth sector post COVID-19, gaining momentum in the latter part of 2021. The company believes that the new investment will complement its long-term leisure strategy of building a diverse leisure portfolio in Sri Lanka and in the Maldives.

Over the years, BI has developed its diverse investment portfolio, expanding its operations into construction and related businesses, Plantations and other strategic investments. The construction business has seen a significant growth, with Browns Engineering & Construction becoming one of the most sought-after telecom engineering companies in the country. 

The construction sector businesses are showing great potential in the medium to long term with Ajax Engineers – the aluminum fabricating arm, Gurind Accor – the renowned tempered glass supplier, General Accessories – the leading powder coating services provider, and Creations Wooden Fabricators – suppliers of interior and furniture solutions for commercial purposes, complementing the overall business strategy of the construction sector with a wide range of construction related businesses. BI is also the single largest shareholder of the Sierra Group.

The plantation investment of BI, Maturata plantations, a prominent manufacturer of premium branded tea and cinnamon is performing extremely well despite the current economic crisis, recording excellent operating results. 

The company owns the largest cinnamon plantation in the country and the recent investments made into this sector is now reaching the stage of harvesting and the timely acquisition of Tropical Island Commodities, a cinnamon exporting business with an established sales channel in the global cinnamon market will certainly enrich the plantation business.

On the agriculture side, BI also holds a substantial stake in Agstar PLC, the second largest fertiliser company in the country.  

The plantation business in Sierra Leone, Sunbird Bio Energy Ltd. (SBSL) acquired in 201819, is now realigned and geared to produce 50Mn litres of ENA in the coming season, with the company ramping up its plantation from 5,000 hectares to reach 12,000 hectares within the next two seasons. SBSL owns the largest Bio ENA plant in the West African Region. The company also secured a further 15-year contract with the Government to export 120GWh power to the main grid at an attractive price of $ 14 cents.

In Sri Lanka, BI also owns the majority stake in the first commercial solar power plant, Saga Solar Ltd., which has a 10 MW power plant in Buruthakanda, Hambantota.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Jaffna Stallions openers Avishka Fernando and Johnson Charles created a stable platform for them to build on.

Later, a 69 run partnership between Shoaib Malik and Dhananjaya De Silva coupled with a cameo from skipper Thisara Perera fired the Stallions to a competitive score of 188 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.

Chasing a mammoth target of 189 runs for victory, the Gladiators’ innings got off to a disastrous start when they lost 3 wickets for a mere 7 runs.

A valiant effort by the Gladiators’ skipper Bhanuka Rajapaksa was insufficient to guide his team to LPL glory after he was dismissed for a 17-ball 40.

The Gladiators eventually sunk to a score of 135/9 and the Stallions claimed victory by 53 runs.

The decision to cancel the grant from being offered to the South Asian island nation was announced as part of MCC’s latest decisions concerning its grant assistance programmes.

“At its quarterly meeting on December 15, the MCC Board of Directors selected new countries as eligible for U.S. Government grant assistance,” the US foreign aid agency said in a statement.

“The Board discontinued the proposed compact with Sri Lanka.”

The MCC had earlier announced it would offer Sri Lanka a grant to carry out projects targeting the transport sector and land administration – a move critics said would affect the country’s territorial integrity.

Sierra Leone and Kiribati had been chosen as the next beneficiary countries of similar grants focused on policy reforms and reducing poverty, MCC noted.

MCC’s board had also approved a USD 23 million threshold program with the Solomon Islands.