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65-623: The Colombo – Katunayake Expressway  E03   is Sri Lanka 's second E Class highway. The 25.8-kilometre-long (16.0 mi) highway links the Sri Lankan capital Colombo with Bandaranaike International Airport , Katunayake and Negombo . Construction on the highway began in October 2009, and it was opened on 27 October 2013, by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa . The highway has three lanes each way from Colombo to Peliyagoda, and two lanes each way from Peliyagoda to Katunayake, with

130-469: A tropical rainforest climate ( Af ). Colombo's climate is hot throughout the year. From March to April the average high temperature is around 31 °C (87.8 °F). The only major change in the Colombo weather occurs during the monsoon seasons from April to June and September to November, when heavy rains occur. Colombo sees little relative diurnal range of temperature, although this is more marked in

195-490: A 480 metre long viaduct at Hunupitiya and an 800-metre viaduct at Katunayake. The opening of the highway has allowed people to travel between Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, and Katunayake, the major international airport of Sri Lanka, within 15 minutes. The E03 expressway links the capital Colombo with one of the major commercial hubs in the country and the major tourist destination, Negombo, within 20 minutes. The Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) has also commenced

260-650: A GDP (PPP) of $ 122 billion or 40% of the GDP, making it the most important aspect of the Sri Lankan economy. The per capita income of the Colombo Metro area stood at US$ 8623 and purchasing power per capita of $ 25,117, making it one of the most prosperous regions in South Asia. The Colombo Metropolitan (CM) area is the most important industrial, commercial and administrative centre in Sri Lanka. A major share of

325-589: A Municipal Council as a means of training the local population in self-governance . The Legislative Council of Ceylon constituted the Colombo Municipal Council in 1865 and the Council met for the first time on 16 January 1866. At the time, the population of the region was around 80,000. During the time they were in control of Colombo, the British were responsible for much of the planning of

390-430: A category of words that exclusively belonged to early Sinhala. It lists naramba (to see) and kolamba (fort or harbour) as deriving from the indigenous Vedda language . Kolamba may also be the source of the name of the commercial capital Colombo. Traveller Ibn Battuta who visited the island in the 14th century, referred to it as Kalanpu . Arabs, whose prime interests were trade, began to settle in Colombo around

455-631: A commercial hub. In 1638 the Dutch signed a treaty with King Rajasinha II of Kandy which assured the king assistance in his war against the Portuguese in exchange for a monopoly of the island's major trade goods. The Portuguese resisted the Dutch and the Kandyans but were gradually defeated in their strongholds beginning in 1639. The Dutch captured Colombo in 1656 after an epic siege, at the end of which

520-530: A ferry service to Tuticorin , India. Ferry services between the two countries have been revived after more than 20 years. Ratmalana Airport is the city's airport, located 15 km (9.3 mi) south of the city centre. It commenced operating in 1935 and was the country's first international airport until it was replaced by Bandaranaike Airport in 1967. Ratmalana Airport now primarily services domestic flights, aviation training and international corporate flights. The two World Trade Centre towers used to be

585-578: A large area of the kingdom and the Sinhalese King Mayadunne established a new kingdom at Sitawaka, a domain in the Kotte kingdom. Before long he annexed much of the Kotte kingdom and forced the Portuguese to retreat to Colombo, which was repeatedly besieged by Mayadunne and the later kings of Sitawaka, forcing them to seek reinforcement from their major base in Goa , India. Following the fall of

650-476: A long history. Colombo has many of the prominent public schools in the country, some of them government-owned and others private. Most of the prominent schools in the city date back to the 1800s when they were established during the British colonial rule, such as the Royal College Colombo established in 1835. Certain urban schools of Sri Lanka have some religious alignment; this is partly due to

715-744: A luxury bus service on the road, conducting services between Colombo and Negombo. The contract was awarded to China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) by the Government of Sri Lanka and the agreement was signed on 17 August 2008. The project loan agreements were signed on 6 August 2009 and the construction commenced on 18 August 2009. The expressway was opened on 27 October 2013 by President Mahinda Rajapaksa . Colombo Colombo ( / k ə ˈ l ʌ m b oʊ / kə- LUM -boh ; Sinhala : කොළඹ , romanized:  Koḷam̆ba , IPA: [ˈkoləᵐbə] ; Tamil : கொழும்பு , romanized:  Koḻumpu , IPA: [koɻumbɯ] )

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780-577: A mere 93 Portuguese survivors were given safe conduct out of the fort. Although the Dutch (e.g., Rijcklof van Goens ) initially restored the captured area back to the Sinhalese kings, they later refused to turn them over and gained control over the island's richest cinnamon lands including Colombo which then served as the capital of the Dutch maritime provinces under the control of the Dutch East India Company until 1796. Although

845-408: A mix of numerous ethnic groups, mainly Sinhalese , Sri Lankan Moor and Sri Lankan Tamils , . There are also small communities of people with Chinese , Portuguese Burgher , Dutch Burgher , Malay and Indian origins living in the city, as well as numerous European expatriates. Colombo is the most populous city in Sri Lanka, with 642,163 people living within the city limits. In 1866 the city had

910-522: A number of folk poems that mention the Kelani River, such as the following: ඔන්න මලේ ඔය නා මල නෙළා වරෙන් අත්ත බිඳෙයි පය බුරුලෙන් තබා වරෙන් කැලණි ගඟේ ඔරු යනවා බලා වරෙන් සාදුකාර දී ඔරුවක නැගී වරෙන් සමනොළ මුදුන සිරිපද ඔබන මගුලට නිකසල මහ සඟන ගෙන වඩින මුනිඳුට පැහැදුල සුනිල් මිණියෙන් කළ මග ලෙස මනදොළ පිරෙයි ගඟ සිරිසර දුටු තොපට The Kalyani Ordination Hall in Bago, Myanmar derives its name from

975-547: A population of around 80,000. Religion in Colombo Municipality area (2012) Colombo is a charter city , with a mayor-council government . The mayor and council members are elected through local government elections held once in five years. For the past 50 years the city had been ruled by the United National Party (UNP), a right leaning party, whose business-friendly policies resonate with

1040-518: A short time, however, they expelled the Muslim inhabitants of Colombo and began to build a fort in 1517. The Portuguese soon realised that control of Sri Lanka was necessary for the protection of their coastal establishments in India, and they began to manipulate the rulers of the Kotte kingdom to gain control of the area. After skilfully exploiting rivalries within the royal family, they took control of

1105-514: A significant result of the colonial era. These cultural changes were followed by the strengthening of the island's economy. Even today, the influence of the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British is visible in Colombo's architecture, names, clothing, food, language and attitudes. Buildings from all three eras stand as reminders of the turbulent past of Colombo. The city and its people show an interesting mix of European clothing and lifestyles together with local customs. Historically, Colombo referred to

1170-479: A treaty with the King of Kotte , Parakramabahu VIII (1484–1518), which enabled them to trade in the island's crop of cinnamon , which lay along with the coastal areas of the island, including in Colombo. As part of the treaty, the Portuguese were given full authority over the coastline in exchange for the promise of guarding the coast against invaders. They were allowed to establish a trading post in Colombo. Within

1235-546: Is St.Paul's Church Milagiriya , one of the oldest churches in Sri Lanka, first built by the Portuguese and rebuilt by the British in 1848. The Cargills & Millers building in Fort is also a protected building of historical significance. Cannons that were once mounted on the rampart of the old fort of Colombo were laid out for observance and prestige at the Green. The colonial styled Galle Face Hotel , known as Asia's Emerald on

1300-449: Is another reason. The problems are related: the saline intrusion is enhanced by the deepening of the river caused by sand mining. Regulation, in order to prevent saline intrusion, can reduce the water quality in other ways, and can increase the flood risk. Sand mining is economically important nationally and to the many people involved. The Kelani stream flow was investigated just upstream of Ambatale at Hanwella , with engineers analyzing

1365-545: Is believed to be derived from the classical Sinhala name කොලොන් තොට , கொல்லம் துறைமுகம் Kolon thota , meaning "port on the river Kelani ". Another belief is that the name is derived from the Sinhala name කොල-අඹ-තොට , பெருங்குடல் துறைமுகம் Kola-amba-thota which means 'Harbour with leafy/green mango trees'. This coincides with Robert Knox 's history of the island while he was a prisoner in Kandy. He writes that "On

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1430-607: Is more crowded than the Fort area. Pettah's roads are always packed and pavements are full of small stalls selling items from delicious sharbat to shirts . Main Street consists mostly of clothes shops and the crossroads, which are known as Cross-Streets where each of the five streets specialises in a specific business. For example, First Cross Street is mostly electronic goods shops, the Second cellular phones and fancy goods. Most of these businesses are dominated by Muslim traders. At

1495-597: Is one of the most distinctive landmarks of Colombo and was used for centuries by colonists to defend the city. It remains a tourist attraction, hosting regattas , and theatrical events on its shores. The northern and north-eastern border of the city of Colombo is formed by the Kelani River , which meets the sea in a part of the city known as the Modera ( mōdara in Sinhala) which means river delta . Colombo features

1560-626: Is one of the most important temples in Colombo. The temple's architecture demonstrates an eclectic mix of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian and Chinese architecture. The Viharamahadevi Park (formerly Victoria Park) is an urban park located next to the National Museum of Colombo and the Town Hall . It is the oldest and largest park in Colombo and features a large Buddha statue. As part of the Urban Regeneration Program of

1625-635: Is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution , the Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 in the Municipality . It is the financial centre of the island and a tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the Greater Colombo area which includes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte ,

1690-823: The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast to the Upper Adriatic region with its rail connections to Central and Eastern Europe . Colombo has an extensive public transport system based on buses operated both by private operators and the government-owned Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) . The three primary bus terminals – Bastian Mawatha, Central and the Gunasinghapura Bus Terminals – are in Pettah. Bastian Mawatha handles long-distance services whereas Gunasinghapura and Central handle local services. Train transport in

1755-458: The Government of Sri Lanka , many old sites and buildings were revamped into modern public recreational spaces and shopping precincts. These include Independence Memorial Hall Square , Pettah Floating Market and Old Dutch Hospital , among others. Ethnicity in Colombo Municipality area (2012) Colombo is a multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural city. The population of Colombo is

1820-626: The Metropolitan Range headed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Metropolitan), this also includes the Colombo Crime Division. As with most Sri Lankan cities, the magistrate court handles felony crimes while the district court handles civil cases. As in other large cities around the world, Colombo experiences certain levels of street crime and bribery . Indeed, the corruption extends to

1885-621: The Military headquarters , Naval headquarters ( SLNS Parakrama ), Air Force headquarters ( SLAF Colombo ) and Police national and field force headquarters. Colombo is divided into 15 numbered areas for the purposes of postal services. Within these areas are the suburbs with their corresponding post office. The great majority of Sri Lankan corporations have their head offices in Colombo including Aitken Spence , Ceylinco Corporation , Stassen group of companies, John Keells Holdings , Cargills , Hemas Holdings, SenzMate and Akbar Brothers. Some of

1950-505: The monsoons . The annual sand extraction from the river is approximately 600,000 m (6,458,346 sq ft) to 800,000 m (8,611,128 sq ft). From a barge , people dive to the river bed, from where the sand is lifted to the barge in a bucket, and when the barge is full, it is taken to the river bank and unloaded by a separate team. The sand mining causes the river bed to sink by approximately 10 cm (4 in) per year. At present, two main concerns in connection with

2015-461: The 1980s the national capital of the island was Colombo. During the 1980s plans were made to move the administrative capital to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and thus move all governmental institutions out of Colombo to make way for commercial activities. As a primary step, the Parliament was moved to a new complex in Kotte, with several ministries and departments also relocated. However, the move

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2080-486: The British captured Colombo in 1796, it remained a British military outpost until the Kandyan Kingdom was ceded to them in 1815 and they made Colombo the capital of their newly created crown colony of British Ceylon . Unlike the Portuguese and Dutch before them, whose primary use of Colombo was as a military fort, the British began constructing houses and other civilian structures around the fort, giving rise to

2145-542: The Colombo area also involves the construction of numerous expressway grade arterial road routes. The first of these constructed is the Southern Expressway , which goes from Kottawa , a southern suburb of Colombo, to Matara City in the south of the country. Expressways constructed in the Colombo metropolitan area include the Colombo–Katunayake Expressway , which was opened in October 2013 and

2210-470: The Colombo orbital bypass Outer Circular Highway ( Arthur C. Clarke Expressway ). The Colombo-Katunayake Expressway (E03) runs from Peliyagoda , a northern suburb of Colombo, to Colombo International Airport and it is linked with one of the major commercial hubs and a major tourist destination of the country, the city of Negombo . An international ferry liner, the Scotia Prince , is conducting

2275-665: The Green since 1864, is adjacent to Galle Face Green. The hotel has played host to guests such as the British Royal Family and other royal guests and celebrities. After a stay at the hotel, Princess Alexandra of Denmark commented that "the peacefulness and generosity encountered at the Galle Face Hotel cannot be matched." Also facing Galle Face Green is the Ceylon Inter-Continental Hotel. Education institutions in Colombo have

2340-783: The Kehelgamu Oya, while Maskeliya Reservoir , Canyon Reservoir and Laxapana Reservoir are constructed across the Maskeli Oya. In its lower reaches, some more tributaries connect to the Kelani River, out of which the most famous are the We Oya at Yatiyanthota, the Gurugoda Oya at Ruwanwella, and the Seethawaka Ganga at Avissawella . The Kelani supplies approximately 80% of the water used in Colombo . In addition,

2405-761: The West, the City of Columbo, so-called from a Tree the Natives call Ambo, (which bears the Mango-fruit) growing in that place; but this never bear fruit, but only leaves, which in their Language is kola and thence they called the Tree Colambo: which the Christians in honour of Christopher Columbus turned to Columbo." The author of the oldest Sinhala grammar, Sidatsangarava, written in the 13th century wrote about

2470-691: The area around the Fort and Pettah Market which is known for the variety of products available as well as the Khan Clock Tower , a local landmark. At present, it refers to the city limits of the Colombo Municipal Council . More often, the name is used for the Conurbation known as Greater Colombo , which encompasses several Municipal councils including Kotte , Dehiwela and Colombo. Although Colombo lost its status as

2535-406: The busiest ports in Sri Lanka. Colombo was established primarily as a port city during the colonial era, with an artificial harbour that has been expanded over the years. The Sri Lanka Navy maintains a naval base , SLNS Rangalla , within the harbour. The Port of Colombo handled 3.75 million twenty-foot equivalent units in 2008, 10.6% up on 2007 (which itself was 9.7% up on 2006), bucking

2600-441: The capital of Sri Lanka in the 1980s to Sri Jayawardanapura, it continues to be the island's commercial centre. Despite the official capital of Sri Lanka moving to the adjacent Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte, most countries still maintain their diplomatic missions in Colombo. The geography of Colombo consists of both land and water. The city has many canals and, in the heart of the city, the 65-hectare (160-acre) Beira Lake . The lake

2665-677: The city is limited since most trains are meant for transport to and from the city rather than within it and are often overcrowded. However, the Central Bus Stand and Fort Railway Station function as the island's primary hub for bus and rail transport respectively. Up until the 1970s, the city had tram services, which were discontinued. Other means of transport include auto rickshaws (commonly called "three-wheelers") and taxicabs . Three-wheelers are entirely operated by individuals and hardly regulated whilst cab services are run by private companies and are metered. Post-war development in

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2730-623: The council liaises with the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) , the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and telephone service providers operating in the country respectively. Colombo was the capital of the coastal areas controlled by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British from the 1700s to 1815 when the British gained control of the entire island following the Kandyan convention . From then until

2795-452: The country's export-oriented manufacturing takes place in the CM area, which is the engine of growth for Sri Lanka. The Western province contributes less than 40% to the GDP and about 80% of industrial value additions although it accounts for only 5.7% of the country's geographic area and 25% of the national population. Given its importance as the primary international gateway for Sri Lanka and as

2860-404: The country, Colombo has the highest degree of infrastructure. Electricity, water and transport to street lights and phone booths are to a considerably good standard. Apart from that, many luxurious hotels, clubs and restaurants are in the city. In recent times there has been an outpour of high-rise condominiums, mainly due to the very high land prices. Colombo Harbour is the largest and one of

2925-615: The current City of Colombo. Initially, they placed the administration of the city under a " Collector ", and John Macdowell of the Madras Service was the first to hold the office. Then, in 1833, the Government Agent of the Western Province was charged with the administration of the city. Centuries of colonial rule had meant a decline of indigenous administration of Colombo and in 1865 the British conceived

2990-473: The drier winter months, where minimum temperatures average 22 °C (71.6 °F). Rainfall in the city averages around 2,500 millimetres (98 in) a year. Galle Face Green is located in the heart of the city along the Indian Ocean coast and is a destination for tourists and residents alike. The Galle Face Hotel is a historic landmark on the southern edge of this promenade. Gangaramaya Temple

3055-505: The eighth century AD mostly because the port helped their business by the way of controlling much of the trade between the Sinhalese kingdoms and the outside world. It was popularly believed that their descendants comprised the local Sri Lankan Moor community, but their genetics are predominantly South Indian. Portuguese explorers led by Dom Lourenço de Almeida first arrived in Sri Lanka in 1505. During their initial visit they made

3120-520: The end of Main Street further away from Fort is Sea Street – Sri Lanka's gold market – dominated by Tamil interests. This mile-long street is full of jewellery shops, including the former head office of SriLankan Airlines . The Sri Lanka Police , the main law enforcement agency of the island, liaise with the municipal council but is under the control of the Ministry of Defence of the central government. Policing in Colombo and its suburbs falls within

3185-466: The global economic trend. Of those, 817,000 were local shipments with the rest transshipments. With a capacity of 5.7 million TEUs and a dredged depth of over 15 m (49 ft), the Colombo Harbour is one of the busiest ports in the world and ranks among the top 25 ports (23rd). Sri Lanka's Port of Colombo is said to be the busiest, largest port in the Indian Ocean. Colombo is part of

3250-554: The industries include chemicals, textiles, glass, cement, leather goods, furniture and jewellery. In the city centre is the World Trade Centre . The 40-story Twin Tower complex is the centre of important commercial establishments, in the Fort district, the city's nerve centre. Right outside the Fort area is Pettah which is derived from the Sinhala word pita which means 'out' or 'outside'. The Colombo Metropolitan area has

3315-681: The influence of the British, who established Christian missionary schools. These include the Anglican , Bishop's College (1875); the Methodist , Wesley College Colombo (1874); the Buddhist , Ananda College (1886); the Muslim , Zahira College (1892); the St. Benedict's College, Colombo (1985), the Catholic , St. Joseph's College (1896). The religious alignments do not affect the curriculum of

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3380-401: The kingdom in 1593, the Portuguese were able to establish complete control over the coastal area, with Colombo as their capital. This part of Colombo is still known as Fort and houses the presidential palace and the majority of Colombo's five star hotels. The area immediately outside Fort is known as Pettah ( Sinhala : පිට කොටුව , Tamil : புறக் கோட்டை piṭa koṭuva , "outer fort") and is

3445-480: The legislative capital of Sri Lanka, and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia . Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is itself within the urban/suburban area of Colombo. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District . Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life, colonial buildings and monuments. It

3510-472: The main economic driver of the country, the government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has launched an ambitious program to transform Colombo and its area into a metropolis of international standards. Bottlenecks are preventing the Colombo metropolitan area from realizing its full economic potential. To facilitate the transformation of Colombo, the government has to address these bottlenecks which have for long been obstructing economic and physical urban regeneration. Pettah

3575-753: The most recognised landmarks of the city. Before they were completed in 1997, the adjacent Bank of Ceylon tower was the tallest structure and the most prominent city landmark. Before the skyscrapers were built, the Old Parliament Building that stood in the Fort district with the Old Colombo Lighthouse close to it used to be the tallest building. Another important landmark is the Independence Hall at Independence Square in Cinnamon Gardens. Another landmark

3640-401: The population of Colombo. However, the UNP nomination list for the 2006 Municipal elections was rejected, and an Independent Group supported by the UNP won the elections. Uvais Mohamed Imitiyas was subsequently appointed Mayor of Colombo. The city government provides sewer, road and waste management services to the residents. In the case of water, electricity and telephone utility services,

3705-513: The present city. In some parts of the city, tram car tracks and granite flooring laid during the era are still visible today. This era of colonialism ended peacefully in 1948 when Ceylon gained independence from Britain. Due to the tremendous impact this caused on the city's inhabitants and on the country as a whole, the changes that resulted at the end of the colonial period were drastic. An entire new culture took root. Changes in laws and customs, clothing styles, religions and proper names were

3770-400: The river are flooding during the monsoon and saline intrusion in the dry season. In addition, Kelani River water levels affect the flood risk to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, to a considerable extent. One reason is that part of the city and suburbs of Colombo lies on the lower flood plain of the river. Exposure of Colombo and the upper catchments of Kelani River to the South West Monsoon

3835-429: The river discharges from 1973 to 2004 (in million m /month). Kelani River is connected closely with the Sinhala Buddhist culture of Sri Lanka, especially with the people living on the area identified as the Kelani Valley. This derives primarily from the fact that the Kelani River is associated with two of the most venerated Buddhist shrines and pilgrimages, i.e. Sri Pada Mountain and Kelani Raja Maha Viharaya. There are

3900-482: The river is used for transport , fisheries , sewage disposal , sand mining and for production of hydroelectricity . Through these factors, many people depend on the river for their daily routine in life. Depending on the operation of three reservoirs , the river flow varies from 20 m /s (706 cu ft/s) to 25 m /s (883 cu ft/s) in the dry seasons, and 800 m /s (28,252 cu ft/s) to 1,500 m /s (52,972 cu ft/s) during

3965-465: The school except for the demographics of the student population. Colombo has many International Schools that have come up in recent years. Kelani River The Kelani River has two main tributaries in its upper reaches: the Kehelgamu Oya and the Maskeli Oya . These two contribute to hydro-electric production in Sri Lanka, housing several major reservoirs, ponds and power stations. Castlereigh Reservoir and Norton Reservoir are constructed across

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4030-419: The very top, US reports show. In addition, in the period from the 1980s to 2009, there have been a number of major terrorist attacks. The LTTE has been linked to most of the bombings and assassinations in the city. Welikada Prison is situated in Colombo and it is one of the largest maximum-security prisons in the country. Colombo has most of the amenities that a modern city has. Compared to other parts of

4095-452: The width ranging from 26 to 33.5 metres (85 to 110 ft). The total cost of the project was US $ 292 million. Exim Bank of China funded US$ 248.2 million of the total cost and the government of Sri Lanka spent US$ 45 million on the project. The speed limit is 80 km/h (50 mph) for the first eight kilometres (5.0 mi) and 100 km/h (62 mph) for the rest of the road. The Expressway has 42 bridges and 88 culverts including

4160-401: Was made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, and its status as capital was retained when the nation became independent in 1948. In 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte , Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. The name 'Colombo', first introduced by the Portuguese explorers in 1505,

4225-446: Was never completed. Today, many governmental institutions still remain in Colombo. These include the President's House , Presidential Secretariat , Prime Minister's House (Temple Trees), Prime Minister's Office , the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka , Central Bank of Sri Lanka , important government ministries and departments; such as Finance (Treasury), Defence , Public Administration & Home affairs, Foreign affairs , Justice and

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