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One Invitation at a Time: FairyHopes.lk Wedding Invitations Sri Lanka

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Menaka Amerasinghe’s journey into the world of bespoke wedding invitations and planning services began with a simple love for handwork and a desire to create. From a young age, she was drawn to the tangible beauty of handcrafted items, finding joy in transforming her creative impulses into physical objects. This passion initially found expression in the creation of birthday cards, but it wasn’t long before Menaka discovered her true calling: wedding invitations.

In 2021, Menaka was honored with the prestigious Sri Lanka Vanithabhimana Award, a testament to her exceptional talent and contribution to the industry.

Recognizing a gap in the market for truly unique and personalized wedding invitations, Menaka set out to offer couples an alternative to generic, mass-produced designs. Her vision was to create invitations that would encapsulate the essence of a couple’s love story, transforming their special day into an exquisite, handcrafted experience. This vision became the driving force behind Fairyhopes.lk, a brand that quickly became synonymous with originality, craftsmanship, and personalized service.

Menaka’s path to success was not without its challenges. As a self-taught artist, she had to rely on her resourcefulness and determination to hone her skills and develop her unique design aesthetic. “This was entirely a self-learning process as I don’t have any professional training,” she explains. “But I used to refer to videos online and create my designs.”

Through online resources and sheer dedication, Menaka mastered various design techniques and explored different materials, constantly pushing the boundaries of her creativity. Her innovative approach and commitment to quality quickly attracted a loyal clientele, validating her intuition that couples were seeking something more than just a generic invitation.

Each invitation tells a story, reflecting the unique personalities and preferences of the couple. The tactile experience of holding a beautifully crafted invitation, with its intricate details and personalized touches, adds a layer of intimacy and authenticity that mass-produced alternatives cannot replicate.

Fairyhopes.lk tapped into this desire for authenticity, offering couples the opportunity to express their individuality through exquisite, handcrafted designs. The brand’s tagline, “Get a unique wedding card designed for your big day,” perfectly captures Menaka’s commitment to creating invitations that are as special and unique as the couples they represent.

This commitment to craftsmanship has earned the brand a reputation for excellence, making it the go-to destination for couples seeking high-quality, personalized wedding stationery.

At Fairyhopes.lk, personalized service is at the heart of everything they do. Menaka works closely with each couple, taking the time to understand their vision and preferences. “I get many orders and requests online, and I usually discuss design ideas with clients,” she says. “Sometimes the brides want to match the invitation cards with their bridal outfits. Apart from invitation cards, I also make cake boxes as well.”

Balancing the demands of her business with her personal life requires a dedicated team, and Menaka is grateful for the support she receives from her family and colleagues. “I like to extend my gratitude to my parents for being constant pillars of strength without whom none of this would have been a success,” she says.

Like any entrepreneur, Menaka has faced her share of challenges, particularly during the pandemic. “There’s a huge competition in the market, and we need to have unique designs if we are to survive,” she admits. However, her unwavering commitment to quality and innovation has allowed her to navigate these challenges and emerge stronger than ever.

Looking to the future, Menaka’s hopes and ambitions for Fairyhopes.lk are deeply rooted in her desire to empower couples and create lasting memories. She envisions continuing to push the boundaries of creativity, exploring new design techniques and materials to offer even more innovative and captivating products.

“I want Fairyhopes.lk to be known as a brand that truly understands the importance of celebrating love,” Menaka says. “We’re not just creating invitations; we’re creating keepsakes, tangible reminders of a special moment in time.”

Menaka has created a legacy of love and artistry that will continue to inspire for years to come.

Death After Phone Rings in Court Sparks Outrage and Calls for Legal Reform

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The detention and subsequent death of an individual for a phone ringing in court has ignited a firestorm of criticism, with Member of Parliament and President’s Counsel Faizer Musthapha labeling it a “serious situation.” Speaking in Parliament, he asserted that the misuse of the Contempt of Court Act in this manner poses a grave threat to citizens’ rights and demanded immediate action.

Responding to these concerns, Minister of Justice Harsha Nanayakkara announced the appointment of a committee to discuss the existing issues within the Contempt of Court Act. He assured that legal professionals would be allowed to present their views. Furthermore, the Minister stated that discussions regarding the challenges of the Act would be held with the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and the Judicial Service Commission.

This incident underscores the delicate balance between maintaining discipline within the judiciary and safeguarding citizens’ rights. The correct implementation of the Contempt of Court Act and its shortcomings’ identification and amendment have become critical matters.

Presidential Media Official Casts Doubt on LTTE Role in 2006 Massacres, Suggests Rajapaksa and Pillayan Benefited

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Anuruddha Lokuhapuarachchi, Director of Communications for Sri Lanka’s Presidential Media Division, has ignited controversy by publicly questioning the long-accepted narrative that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were solely responsible for the 2006 Welikanda and Kebithigollewa massacres of Sinhala civilians.

In a recent post titled “Ghosts in the Borderlands: Unraveling the Violent Legacy of Pillayan and the Politics of Impunity,” Lokuhapuarachchi suggests that key figures linked to the state, including former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and Pillayan (Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan), may have had greater incentives for the violence. His statements challenge decades of official claims and come shortly after he is appointed Director of International Media and Strategic Communications within the President’s Media Division.

Lokuhapuarachchi highlights that the attacks, which resulted in the deaths of numerous farm workers in Welikanda and over 60 bus passengers in Kebithigollewa, were swiftly attributed to the LTTE. He contends this attribution ” galvanized support for then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s war strategy.” However, he now raises critical questions: “Who truly orchestrated these killings? And did the real perpetrators find protection, not punishment, within the post-war political framework?”

He points to the significant presence and operational control of the TMVP, a paramilitary group led by Pillayan and Karuna Amman that collaborated closely with Sri Lankan military intelligence. Lokuhapuarachchi argues that it was “highly unlikely” for the LTTE to execute such attacks in heavily militarized areas without the knowledge or complicity of the TMVP or state forces.

The article urges a shift in focus from identifying the perpetrators to understanding who stood to gain from the violence. Lokuhapuarachchi posits that the attacks helped Mahinda Rajapaksa fuel nationalist sentiment and justify military action, strengthened Pillayan and the TMVP’s alliance with the government, leading to political legitimacy, and discredited the LTTE while garnering international sympathy for the state.

He further notes Pillayan’s subsequent political ascent, including his appointment as Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, and the unsolved assassination of Pillayan’s aide in a high-security zone in Colombo, suggesting a warning from the very state apparatus that had empowered him.

Lokuhapuarachchi also addresses Pillayan’s persistent involvement in violent incidents, including alleged links to the Easter Sunday bombings and the assassination of Tamil MP Joseph Pararajasingham, for which he was held in remand for five years before release due to recanted witness testimonies.

Concluding his post, Lokuhapuarachchi asserts that the continued freedom of individuals like Pillayan undermines reconciliation and renders justice “a tool of convenience.”

His analysis echoes earlier doubts, such as a 2006 Tamil Mirror article questioning the LTTE’s ability to plant mines in a heavily guarded area in Kebithigollewa shortly after a military sweep. The article suggested the involvement of government-aligned actors with specific knowledge of funeral plans. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission’s attribution of blame to the LTTE based on “motive, capability, and capacity,” rather than concrete evidence, further highlights the long-standing uncertainties surrounding these events.

Ghosts in the Borderlands: Unraveling the Violent Legacy of Pillayan and the Politics of Impunity

In Sri Lanka’s long and painful post-war reckoning, the ghosts of unsolved massacres and forgotten victims continue to shadow our national conscience. Two such events — the Welikanda massacre (May 2006) and the Kebithigollewa Claymore attack (June 2006) — left deep scars on the Sinhala civilian psyche. Both atrocities were quickly blamed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), helping to galvanize support for then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s war strategy. But nearly two decades later, new reflections raise difficult questions: Who truly orchestrated these killings? And did the real perpetrators find protection, not punishment, within the post-war political framework? One name that repeatedly surfaces — then and now — is that of Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, better known as Pillayan.
On 29 May 2006, thirteen Sinhalese farm workers were abducted and executed near Welikanda, Polonnaruwa, while building a government-funded irrigation canal. Their bodies were found bound and shot. Just over two weeks later, on 15 June, a packed civilian bus in Kebithigollewa was torn apart by a Claymore mine, killing over 60 civilians, including children and the elderly. Both attacks occurred in border zones, close to LTTE-controlled regions but also within the stronghold of state forces and Tamil paramilitary groups. The Rajapaksa government immediately blamed the LTTE. The rebels, unusually, denied involvement in both cases, with international monitors offering cautious attributions but no conclusive evidence.
What makes these attacks deeply suspect is who controlled the ground. By 2006, the Eastern Province — including Welikanda and adjacent areas — was under the operational grip of the TMVP (Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal), the breakaway LTTE faction led militarily by Pillayan and politically by Karuna Amman. Working closely with Sri Lankan military intelligence, the TMVP functioned as a state-aligned paramilitary unit tasked with countering the LTTE in the East. Local journalists and field reporters — myself among them — knew that movement in and out of these areas was heavily monitored. TMVP and military checkpoints were frequent. Armed cadres operated with impunity. Under such conditions, it is highly unlikely that the LTTE could have carried out such coordinated attacks without the knowledge — or at least the tacit consent — of TMVP operatives or their state handlers. Which leads to the question: Were these massacres convenient provocations, used to justify a shift from ceasefire to full-scale war?
Who Benefited?
The answer may lie not in who committed the acts, but in who gained from the chaos.
For Mahinda Rajapaksa, the attacks helped ignite nationalist sentiment and justify a decisive military response.
For Pillayan and the TMVP, the violence strengthened their position as loyal allies of the government, paving the way for political legitimacy and the eventual Chief Ministership of the Eastern Province.
For the broader state apparatus, these incidents discredited the LTTE and helped shift international sympathy toward the government’s campaign for a “unified Sri Lanka.”
On November 18, 2008, Pillayan’s coordination secretary was assassinated in broad daylight at Athurugiriya Junction, a high-security suburb of Colombo. No suspects were ever arrested. No motive was officially identified. But for those who understood the code of power at the time, the message was unmistakable. This was not a random act of violence. It was a carefully calculated warning, issued not by enemies, but likely by elements within the same system Pillayan had joined. As a former militant turned political proxy, Pillayan’s role was clear: serve, but never overstep. In many ways, that silent gunshot revealed the invisible leash — the limits of how far state-affiliated actors could go, even after aligning with the very regime they once fought.
These were not isolated events. In 2015, Pillayan was arrested in connection with the 2005 assassination of Tamil MP Joseph Pararajasingham, carried out inside a church in Batticaloa. He remained in custody for five years but was released in 2020 after key witnesses withdrew — amid rising political protectionism. Then, in 2019, his name surfaced again — this time in connection with the Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 260 innocent Christian worshippers across Colombo, Batticaloa, and Negombo. Though never formally charged, Pillayan was questioned by the Terrorism Investigation Division over alleged links to Eastern-based extremists. These revelations were deeply disturbing, especially given the scale and religious nature of the attack. That a figure with such a controversial past could be linked to both ethnic and religious massacres — and still hold office — is emblematic of Sri Lanka’s culture of impunity.
Sri Lanka’s post-war narrative has long been dominated by talk of “peace” and “stability.” But beneath the surface lies a history of unresolved violence, politically repurposed and strategically silenced. If figures like Pillayan, whose names are tied to atrocities against Tamils, Sinhalese, and Christians alike, can move freely through corridors of power — then reconciliation remains a myth, and justice a tool of convenience.

  • Anuruddha Lokuhapuarachchi

IMF Exit Threat Looms Over Sri Lanka Due to Delayed Electricity Tariff Reforms

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Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has warned that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) could withdraw from Sri Lanka because, as reported in the Sathi Aga Aruna newspaper, the government failed to implement the proposed electricity tariff revisions by the March 31 deadline.

Wickremesinghe highlighted that the delay in implementing the IMF’s recommendations could further postpone the release of the fifth tranche of the Extended Credit Facility, amounting to USD 344 million, which was expected in the first two weeks of April. He stated that the absence of the revised electricity tariffs would delay the IMF Executive Board’s approval of the funds.

Furthermore, he cautioned that this situation jeopardizes the allocation of funds by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for development projects in the country.

However, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, speaking at a press conference at the Government Information Department, stated that the IMF has been informed that the issues related to electricity tariffs will be resolved and progress will be made by June.

Legal Action Imminent Against Six Former Ministers Over Corruption Allegations

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Reports indicate that legal action is being prepared against six former ministers concerning allegations of bribery, corruption, and other criminal charges. According to reliable sources, investigations into these senior politicians, who held ministerial portfolios in past governments, have been concluded.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, the Attorney General’s Department, and the Criminal Investigation Department of the Police have jointly conducted these investigations. Legal proceedings against the former ministers are expected to commence within the next few weeks.

These former ministers reportedly represent the districts of Kurunegala, Kandy, Kalutara, Badulla, and Monaragala, and include a current Member of Parliament. A senior spokesperson from the legal division stated that some individuals are expected to be arrested soon.

President AKD Embarks on Official Visit to Vietnam, Set for Live TV Appearances Tonight

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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake departed Sri Lanka today for a three-day official state visit to Vietnam. Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath is part of a five-member delegation accompanying the President on this trip.

However, according to the President’s Facebook page, he is also scheduled to participate in live discussions tonight, May 3rd, at 7:30 PM on Swarnavahini and 10:30 PM on Derana TV.

MR Undergoes Surgery Amidst Rumors of Family Member’s Imminent Arrest

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Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently underwent surgery at a private hospital in Colombo for a long-standing knee ailment. Sources indicate this was the second such procedure, with the other knee being operated on previously. He is recuperating and is expected to resume regular activities within a few days.

Meanwhile, sources close to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) report an impending arrest of a prominent member of the Rajapaksa family within the next two days. Discussions suggest this action is linked to ongoing investigations into a controversial shipment of organic fertilizer from China during the previous administration. Several individuals have already provided statements in connection with the probe, which centers on allegations of significant financial irregularities in the procurement of the fertilizer shipment.

Premadasa’s Rally Cut Short as Crowd Exits After His Speech; Attends Controversial Political Talk Show

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A May Day rally organized by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) in Thalawakale yesterday (1st) was abruptly concluded after attendees began leaving shortly after Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa addressed the crowd.

Following his speech at the rally, Premadasa reportedly left the event, stating he had another meeting to attend. This prompted a significant number of attendees to depart the grounds.

Former Member of Parliament Thusara Indunil made considerable efforts to persuade the crowd to stay, but his attempts were unsuccessful, leading to the early termination of the rally.

Sources indicate that several key figures within the SJB who were scheduled to speak at the event expressed their disappointment over the situation. Their frustration reportedly intensified upon learning that Premadasa had returned to Colombo midway through the rally to participate in ‘Bai Thaksalawa,’ a program hosted by popular singer Iraj Weeraratne and Milinda Rajapaksa, the former media spokesperson for ex-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Former State Minister Remains Elusive as Police Expand Search

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Despite searching ten suspicious locations nationwide, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has yet to apprehend former State Minister Prasanna Ranaweera. Raids were conducted in areas including Mawaramanadiya, Kiribathgoda, Kirillawala, Negombo, Gampaha, Kelaniya, and Wattala, according to department sources. Police also stated that several undercover intelligence teams have been deployed in various areas to locate him.

Meanwhile, police have also been unsuccessful in locating Ishara Sewwandi, wanted in connection with the murder of underworld leader Ganemulla Sanjeewa at the Colombo Aluthkade court complex. Over two hundred locations across the island have been searched, but a senior police official reported no leads on her whereabouts.

Authorities confirmed that investigations are ongoing to arrest both individuals. Ranawira has been at large since March 7th, while Sewwandi disappeared after the shooting of Ganemulla Sanjeewa on February 19th, making her untraced for over two months.

The Maharagama Magistrate, Kanchana Niranjala de Silva, recently issued an arrest warrant for Ranawira concerning the alleged fraudulent sale of government land in the Kiribathgoda area. A CID team visited Ranawira’s Kelaniya residence on March 6th to apprehend him, but he had already fled.

Man Arrested for Allegedly Taking Unauthorized Photos at JVP May Day Rally Preparations

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Colombo Police apprehended a 28-year-old man yesterday (May 1) on suspicion of taking unauthorized photographs of the stage and surrounding areas at the Galle Face Green, where the NPP was preparing for their May Day rally.

Police stated that the suspect was seen arriving on a motorcycle and taking pictures with his mobile phone of the podium, the grounds, and the roads. Alert police officers on duty took him into custody for questioning and confiscated his mobile phone and motorcycle.

The JVP’s May Day rally at Galle Face Green was expected to be attended by many dignitaries, including the President, Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, and Members of Parliament, to commemorate International Workers’ Day.

Further investigations revealed that the arrested individual is a Demodara, Uduwara, Napier Lower Division area resident, and works as a painter. Initial inquiries also indicated that he is temporarily residing in the Kirulapana area.

Investigations are ongoing under the direction of Fort Police Station OIC, Chief Police Inspector Dileepa C. Perera.

Ruling Party Members Accuse Opposition-Led Council of Misusing Funds

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Several councilors from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), who represent the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha currently governed by the Jathika Jana Balawegaya (NPP), today complained with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.

The complaint alleges that the chairman and other members of the Pradeshiya Sabha misused council funds for promotional activities related to the “Clean Sri Lanka” program.

Nalin Priyadarshana, Former Chairman of the Alpititya Pradeshiya Sabha, was also present during the complaint filing and addressed the media regarding the matter.