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News Archive for Apr 2022
What is the Sri Lankan President up to?The President of Sri Lanka came to power in November 2019 with an overwhelming majority promising to deliver on his manifesto. He will go down in history as one of the most unluckiest leaders walking into a covid crisis – deaths & lockdowns, vaccinations & dealing with the collapse of revenue. This was nothing that was exclusive to Sri Lanka but it impacted Sri Lanka’s economy and added to the already piling debt. The covid became a foundation for external parties to influence strategically important nations to become economically clasped under their... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Sri Lanka’s Protestors – Your solutions, please
Governments are changed by elections. The people’s sovereignty is claimed during an election where they either elect or reject political parties or politicians. Suddenly, we are seeing people demand the stepping down of the entire government apparatus. Are Protestors the voice of the entire voting population. Does the demands of the protestors amount to the whole of the voting public? How fair are they? Should government wither & cow down to demands blown up by media sensationalism? Do the protestors have solutions to the lack of dollars, can changing government or bringing... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
හොඳම අධ්‍යාපන ඇමති වීමට නම් . . .
ලංකාවටම සිටියේ අධ්‍යාපන ඇමතිලා එක්කෙනය ඒ කන්නන්ගරය. එක අද්යාපන ලේකම්ය ඒ ප්‍රේමදාස උඩගමය. නව අධ්‍යාපන ඇමතිගේ තාත්තාත් අධ්‍යාපන ඇමතිය. තාත්තා කරපු දෙයක් නම් මම දන්නේ නැත. අලුත් අධ්‍යාපන ඇමතිට තාත්තාගේ නමත් රැකගෙන හොඳම අධ්‍යාපන ඇමති වීමේ අවස්තාව ලැබී තිබේ. වැඩේ සිම්පල් ය. කළයුතුව ඇත්තේ information highways සෑදීමය. තරුණයින්ගේ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
SRI LANKA IS FALLING BACK TO RECEIVE MEDICINES DONATED ON HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE DUE TO LETHARGY OF SRI LANKA HIGH COMMISSION OFFICIALS IN OTTAWA AND SOME BUREAUCRATS IN COLOMBO.
The news item published in "ColomboPage" dated 30th., April, 2022 which is attached below is of great interest to me a "PATRIOTIC SRI LANKAN-CANADIAN CITIZEN" domiciled in Canada. "Indonesia donates 3.1 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Sri LankaThu, Apr 28, 2022, 10:22 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka. http://www.colombopage.com/archive_22A/Apr28_1651164733CH.php" I have a story from Canada regarding sending medicines as Humanitarian Assistance to Sri Lanka since around December 2021, but none of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
මැයි දින පණිවුඩය
සමස්ත පුරවැසියන්ගේ අභිවෘද්ධිය වෙනුවෙන් දිවා රෑ නොබලා වෙහෙසෙන ආදරණීය කම්කරු ජනතාවට මාගේ හෘදයාංගම සුභාශිංසනය පිරිනමමි. වසර දෙකකට අධික කාලයක් ලෝක වසංගත තත්ත්වය හමුවේ විවිධ ආර්ථික දුෂ්කරතාවලට මුහුණ දුන් ඔබ, රට හමුවේ පවතින මෙම ආර්ථික අර්බුදය හේතුවෙන්ද පීඩාවට පත්ව ඇති බව නොරහසකි. අනපේක්ෂිතව මුහුණ පෑමට සිදුවූ මෙම ආර්ථික අර්බුදය හමුවේ වුවද දැඩි කැපවීමකින් හා සංයමයකින් යුතුව කටයුතු කිරීමෙන් ඔබ රටට ලබාදෙන ආදර්ශය සුළු පටු නොවේ. කම්කරු සටන් වෙනුවෙන් ඔබ සමඟ පෙරට ආ මම, වගකීම් ලද සෑම විටම ඔබගේ අයිතිවාසිකම් වෙනුවෙන් ඉටුවිය යුතු... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Sri Lanka says IMF bailout three months away
COLOMBO (AFP) – An International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package for crisis-hit Sri Lanka could take up to three months to arrive, the country’s central bank chief said on Friday, as anti-government protests over the economic crisis continue to escalate. The island nation of 22 million people has been rocked by months of acute food, fuel and medicine shortages, prompting widespread protests calling for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign. Central bank chief Nanadalal Weerasinghe said he was hopeful of a staff-level agreement with the IMF within two months, but a final deal would... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Premier Mahinda ready to bow out
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday told The Island that he was ready to accept any decision taken by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa about the post of Prime Minister. “If the President decides to replace me with another person, I am ready to accept that. We must respect and accept the decisions taken by the President,” the Prime Minister said. Earlier, former President and head of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Maithripala Sirisena told journalists in Colombo that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had agreed to form an interim government. “The President... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Prices of 60 varieties of medicinal drugs increased by 40%
Minister of Health Prof. Channa Jayasumana has issued a Gazette Extraordinary, allowing a price increase on a total of 60 varieties of medicinal drugs. As per the communiqué, dated April 28, the traders, distributors, pharmacists, medical practitioners, dentists, veterinary surgeons, medical institutions including private medical institutions, and pharmacies are permitted to raise the retail prices of relevant medicinal drugs by 40%. Accordingly, a tablet of 500mg of Paracetamol will now cost Rs. 4.16 and a tablet of 75mg of Aspirin, which was previously at Rs. 5.06, is now priced at Rs. 7.08.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Finance Ministry’s statement on recent meetings with IMF, World Bank
The Ministry of Finance says international financial institutions (IFIs), including the IMF, the ADB and the World Bank, have emphasized the importance of maintaining social stability and protecting democratic institutions in the country for them to assist Sri Lanka to effectively manage the economic issues confronted by the country and the people. The Finance Ministry stated this in a statement issued on the meetings of the Sri Lankan delegation, led by Minister of Finance Ali Sabry, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group held in Washington DC from 18 to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Over 96% of Sri Lankans want all politicians audited: CPA survey finds
The latest findings of the survey Confidence in Democratic Governance Index (Wave 2) have found that an overwhelming majority of Sri Lankans have been affected by the current crisis. The survey conducted by the Social Indicator (SI), the survey research arm of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), aims to capture a snapshot of public experiences under the current crisis situation. The poll has also examined the causes of the crisis as well as the solutions to the crisis from the lenses of the Sri Lankan public. Given the fragile political condition,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Finance Minister says no choice but to raise sales tax
Sri Lanka’s finance minister has told the BBC he has no choice but to hike the country’s sales tax as it faces its worst-ever economic crisis. In an exclusive interview, Ali Sabry conceded the government made a mistake when it almost halved the rate of value-added tax (VAT) to 8% in 2019. Mr Sabry says the nation needs $4bn (£3.2bn) over the next eight months to pay for imports of daily essentials. His comments come amid mass protests over government economic policies. Mr Sabry - who is leading... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Should Sri Lanka de-dollarize? Beyond Bananas, Beaches, Bases and Dependent Development
Necessity is the mother of invention: Protests are mounting by people from all walks of life in all parts of Sri Lanka against the soaring cost of living, food and fuel shortages, black outs, lockdowns, forced Covid injections, and the sale of national assets by the ruling dual US citizen Rajapakse led regime in Colombo. As the Sri Lankan Rupee crashes against the “Exorbitantly Privileged” American Dollar, seemingly a precondition for an IMF bailout, the buzz in some quarters of the Colombo intelligentsia is the need to DE-DOLLARIZE and use a basket of currencies for... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
The President of the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Thailand Chuan Leekpai hands over 700,000 Thai Baht aid to crisis-hit in Sri Lanka
The President of the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of Thailand Chuan Leekpai handed over a cheque valued 700,000 Thai Baht to Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Thailand and Permanent Representative to the UNESCAP, C. A. Chaminda I. Colonne, at the Parliament in Bangkok on 25th April 2022. While expressing gratitude for supporting his initiative taken to assist Sri Lanka at her difficult times, the President of the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday Massacre: The “mahamolakaruwa” its pawns & those who knew
On 21st April 2019 after exactly 10 years following 30 years of brutal terror, another form of terrorism struck. Everyone is seeking justice – but from whom, is the question. The Pope and the Vatican who has been appraised by the Cardinal is also seeking investigation. No investigation can be completed unless there is honesty of acceptance of a historical legacy associated with the killings. Who is the “mahamolakaruwa” Religious suicide bombing is nothing knew & has taken place throughout history. Many have committed suicide quoting religious texts –... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
THE ECONOMY OF SRI LANKA Part 1
This series will not be a series of expert essays, discussing the economy of Sri Lanka. That must be done by economists. This series brings before the public certain aspects of the economy which may be of public interest. The initial favorable economic conditions that Sri Lanka inherited from its colonial past, provided the necessary resources to expand our welfare state including free health care, free education, and subsidies on essential consumer goods and services, said economist Srimal Abeyratne. Sri Lanka was among the highest nations in Asia in all such areas, because we... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Memories are short? It is time to learn from mistakes not vilify leaders
During Mahinda Rajapaksa’s time at the helm of Sri Lankan politics, the 30 year war was won, GDP growth reached 7% by 2015, per capita income rose from USD 1065 in 2004 to USD 3843 by 2015 and GDP rose from USD 20.66 Billion in 2004 to USD 80.6 Billion by 2015. These are World Bank statistics and should not be forgotten. Mistakes may have been made, but the challenge now is to learn from them and move forward and not to vilify Mr Rajapaksa. Sri Lanka seems to be a Nation with... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
President invites all political parties in parliament to form all-party govt.
https://youtu.be/hEv-IX0LVCw President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has extended an invitation to form an all-party government comprising all political parties represented in the Parliament, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said in a statement issued today regarding the meeting held with party leaders and representatives who now sit independently in Parliament. The discussion was held at the President’s House in Colombo this morning. Attention was drawn to the need to form a National Consensus Government to continue the activities of the government and to appoint a National Council with the participation of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Finance Minister says no choice but to raise sales tax
Sri Lanka’s finance minister has told the BBC he has no choice but to hike the country’s sales tax as it faces its worst-ever economic crisis. In an exclusive interview, Ali Sabry conceded the government made a mistake when it almost halved the rate of value-added tax (VAT) to 8% in 2019. Mr Sabry says the nation needs $4bn (£3.2bn) over the next eight months to pay for imports of daily essentials. His comments come amid mass protests over government economic policies. Mr Sabry - who is leading... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Sri Lanka to make payments for imports through banking system mandatory
Finance Ministry will issue a new gazette notification under the Import and Export Control Act, making all payments on imports to Sri Lanka through a banking system compulsory, says the Central Bank Governor. Addressing a special media briefing this evening, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said several measures will be taken by the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank to curb the transactions in foreign exchange outside the banking system. He noted that the reason for the foreign exchange shortage in the local banking system is the remittance of funds through informal transfer systems... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
Staff-level agreement with IMF likely to be reached - CBSL governor
While external debt restructuring remains a top priority for the Sri Lankan government, domestic debt in the form of government securities and Sri Lanka Development Bonds will not be restructured, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe announced Thursday (April 28). Dr. Weerasinghe made these comments while addressing a meeting of the Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce at which he was the Guest Speaker. During the meeting, he also provided an update on the progress made during the recent discussions with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank last week. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 30/04/22)
ජාත්යන්තරය නොදුටු පිටි-කිරි
ගෝල් පීසේ දීකිරි පුස්සන්ගේ කිරි ඉල්ලීම ජාත්යන්තරය දැකපු වගක් නැත දැක, නොදැක සේ ඉන්නවත් වෙන්න පුළුවන. තේ, කොෆී වල කළු සුදු කරන්නට අවශ්ය හරක් කිරි පිටි මිල වැඩි වීම ජාත්යන්තරයේ හොද්ද බොර වීමක් වුනාද දන්නෙත් නැත. චිත්තරපටියක් වාගේ වුනා නං ඉල්ලුම වැඩි වෙන්න තිබුණාය, ආකර්ෂණය කර ගන්නට තිබුණාය ප්රේක්ෂක හද ඇද බැද ගන්නට ත්රාස ජනක සීන් තිබිය... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/04/22)
ගෝල්පේස් වනාන්තරය, ගෝඨාභයගේ දෙවන යුද්ධය හා බෞද්ධ මධ්‍යම ප්‍රතිපදා විසඳුම - (3 කොටස)
මීට පෙර ලියූ දෙවන කොටසේ <ගෝල්පේස් තරුණයින්-තරුණියන්ගේ> අවධානය පිණිස කාරණා ගණනාවක්ම මතුකරණ ලදී. ඔවුන් ප්‍රජා-තන්ත්‍ර (නාස්ලණු ) වාදය නමැති මිථ්‍යාවක් ගිලගෙන සිටින බව පෙනෙන්නේ චතුර අල්විස්ගේ දෙරණ බිග් ෆෝකස් යූටියුබ් වැඩ සටහනට සහභාගීවූ හතර දෙනාගේ <දාර්ශනික> කතා ඇසූ විටය. ඔය වයසේදී රැවුලක් වවාගෙන මහපොළොවේ යථාර්තයක් නොවන දේ ගැන සුරංගනා සිහින මැවීම, ඊබ්‍රහිම් සහෝදරයින් අල්ලා දෙවියන්ගෙන් ලැබෙන්නට යන කන්‍යාවන් උදෙසා කොළඹ හෝටල් වලට ගොස් බෝම්බ පුපුරවා ගත්තා වැනිමය. දැන් දෙවෙනි වරටත් <අගමැති යක්ෂයා> සමඟ සාකච්චාවකට යෑම මේ <ප්‍රජා-තන්ත්‍ර-වාදී උපාසකයින්> විසින් ප්‍රතික්ෂේප කර ඇත. ඒ වෙනුවට ඔවුන් යක්ෂයාට ඔවුන් ලඟට එන ලෙස ආඥාවක් නිකුත් කර ඇත!... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/04/22)
Supreme Court of Sri Lanka-Interim Order to control Noise Pollution
Supreme Court of Sri Lanka SC Application FR 38 / 05 Interim Order to control Noise Pollution Delivered on November 9, 2007 The following Order was delivered by the Supreme Court Bench comprising Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva and Justices Shiranee Tilakawardena and A.M. Somawansa; Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva read out the Order in Court, as follows; The proceedings in this case commenced with an application by the Trustees of the Kapuwatte Mohideen Jumma Mosque of Weligama impleading the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/04/22)
Mahinda Rajapaksa confident of bouncing back even if sacked – Interview
Colombo, April 28 (DailyMirror) – Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is presently facing one of the toughest challenges in his political career with certain sections of the population calling on him to step down with the present crises. In an exclusive interview with Daily Mirror, Mahinda Rajapaksa has urged the people to be patient, stating it was not practical for him and the President to resign because they had been elected through a mandate. He further said, there was no split between the two brothers and they were resolving the issues to restore normalcy soon. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/04/22)
Case against Namal fixed for further hearing
The case filed against former Minister Namal Rajapaksa and five others, for allegedly purchasing stocks using ill-gotten funds amounting to Rs 30 million has been fixed for further hearing. When the case was called today, the accused including Namal Rajapaksa appeared before Colombo High Court Judge Navaratne Marasinghe. Further examination of evidence in the case was postponed to September 14 and the witnesses were issued summons to appear before the court on that day. The case was filed during the Yahapalana government, pursuant to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/04/22)
No-confidence motion to be moved next week
The Samagi Jana Balawega (SJB) says that the no-confidence motion against the government will be tabled in Parliament before May 4. SJB Member of Parliament Ashoka Abeysinghe said he believes that they have so far received around 125 signatures from MPs for the motion. He added that they have made requests to the group of 11 political parties and the 10 backbencher MPs who became independent, in this regard. “Let’s see whether they sign this. They will not be able to go back to the village without signing this no-confidence... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 28/04/22)
MISUNDERSTANDING DEMOCRACY AND COMPLICATED ISSUES IN SRI LANKA
The concept of democracy for government administration arrived in Sri Lanka with foreign invasion, especially by Europeans. In the book of John Doily, the sketch of the Kandian Kingdom attempted to give reasonable details of the system of administration in Sri Lanka in the past and it indicated that Sri Lanka had an authoritative rule and people did not attempt to question the administration anything about the rules and the format of the government and attempted to bear the consequences of administration as they were own problem but not the issue of the government. People... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith must listen to Zaharan Hashim made before Easter Sunday suicide mission
On 21st April 2019, 8 suicide bombers carried out attacks on 3 churches, 3 hotels and 1 guest house. This mass suicide killed close to 300 people and has injured many more. It took place during the government of President Maithripala Sirisena & Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe. The suicides took place inspite of over 90 intel warnings from India before the attacks, giving even names of the suicide bombers & locations of the attacks. These facts are well known to all in particular the Cardinal. The subsequent investigations reveal that a number of people (politicians,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
Sri Lanka: A country where the buck seeks the least fortunate and the most disadvantaged
The sign "The Buck Stops Here" that was on President Truman's desk in his White House office was made in the Federal Reformatory at El Reno, Oklahoma. Fred A. Canfil, then United States Marshal for the Western District of Missouri and a friend of Mr. Truman, saw a similar sign while visiting the Reformatory and asked the Warden if a sign like it could be made for President Truman. The sign was made and mailed to the President on October 2, 1945. Buck passing, or passing the buck, or sometimes (playing) the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා ඉල්ලා අස්විය යුතු නැතැයි ප්‍රාදේශීය සභා සභාපතිවරු සහ නගරාධිපතිවරු ඒකමතිකව තීන්දු කරති
අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා සිය ධුරයෙන් ඉල්ලා අස්විය යුතු නැතැයි ප්‍රාදේශීය සභා සභාපතිවරු සහ නගරාධිපතිවරු ඒකමතිකව තීන්දු කළහ. අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා සමඟ අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේ දී අද (27) දින පැවැති හමුවේ දී ඔවුන් මෙම තීරණයට එළැඹිණි. දිස්ත්‍රික් නායකයෝ සහ පළාත් පාලන ආයතන ප්‍රධානීහු මෙම හමුවේදී රටේ පවතින වර්තමාන තත්ත්වය සම්බන්ධයෙන් ඔවුන්ගේ අදහස් ඉදිරිපත් කළහ. මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා බහුතර බලයක් සහිතව මහජන ඡන්දයෙන් පිහිට වූ ආණ්ඩුවේ අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා බවත් ජනතා පරිමාධිපත්‍යට හිස නමන්නේ නම් අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා එම ධුරයේ අඛණ්ඩව කටයුතු කළ යුතු බවත් මෙහිදී ප්‍රාදේශීය සභා සභාපතිවරු සහ නගරාධිපතිවරු ඒකමතිකව කියා සිටියහ. ඒ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
ජනාධිපතිවරයා කිසිවිටක මට ඉල්ලා අස්වෙන්න කිව්වෙත් නැහැ. කියන්නෙත් නැහැ කියලා මට විශ්වාසයි - අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා
විදේශ ආධාර ලබාගෙන හෝ අපි රට ගොඩ නගන්න අවශ්ය වැඩ පිළිවෙල ඉටු කරනවා ජනාධිපතිවරයා කිසිවිටක මට ඉල්ලා අස්වෙන්න කිව්වෙත් නැහැ. කියන්නෙත් නැහැ කියලා මට විශ්වාස යැයි අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා පැවසීය. ප්‍රාදේශීය සභා සභාපතිවරු, නගරාධිපතිවරු සහ දිස්ත්‍රික් නායකයන් සමඟ අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේ අද (27) පැවැති හමුවේදී අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා මේ බව කියා සිටියේය. විදේශ ආධාර ලබාගෙන හෝ අපි රට ගොඩ නගන්න අවශ්ය වැඩ පිළිවෙල ඉටු කරනවා යැයි ද අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා මෙහිදී අවධාරණය කළේය. අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා සිය ධුරයෙන් ඉල්ලා අස්විය යුතු නැතැයි ප්‍රාදේශීය සභා සභාපතිවරු හා නගරාධිපතිවරු... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
U.S. Congress to probe assets fleecing by US citizens of Sri Lankan origin
To those who are responsible for the above named article in today's Island newspaper, https://island.lk/u-s-congress-to-probe-assets-fleecing-by-us-citizens-of-sri-lankan-origin/ This article represents the Sri Lankan version of <Manufacturing Consent> a topic which Prof Noam Chomsky has written extensively in his book about the US Media. The youtube video link is attached. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPazn1XNDQI - Can You Trust the Media? | Manufacturing Consent Explained https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent If this is a statement by the FBI or the CIA, saying that they are going to inquire into the Rajapaksa money, then it is a... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
INFLATION IS NOT THE PROBLEM, BUT THE SOLUTION!
Yes. That’s right ! Inflation is not the problem we have today. In fact, inflation is the perfect solution to our problems. Read carefully! Why did we run out of dollars? Why do we have huge rupee and dollar debt ? Why did we continuously borrow? Even after the default, why are we going behind lenders and begging for more loans ? Because we are a nation of consumers, not a nation of producers! We are a population of 22 million consuming more than we are generating ( or producing ) .... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
Will Sri Lanka’s IMF Gamble Work?
Implementing the IMF’s recommendations will be a daunting task for the Rajapaksa government as it will be resisted by the masses, opposition parties, and trade unions. On April 12, Sri Lanka announced that it was suspending external debt repayment and seeking a consensual restructuring of these obligations “in a manner consistent with an economic adjustment program supported by the IMF.” This is Sri Lanka’s first sovereign default. The decision does not come as a surprise as Sri Lanka’s post-pandemic economic recovery has been slow. The situation has been made worse... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
“President never asked me to resign”: PM Rajapaksa
PM Mahinda Rajapaksa says President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has never asked him to resign from his position. During an audience with the chairpersons, mayors, and members of local government institutions today (April 27), PM Rajapaksa also expressed confidence that the President would not ask him to do so, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. https://youtu.be/YB5rWftFdwU These remarks came amidst growing agitations against the incumbent government, with protesters calling for the resignation of the President, the Premier, and the Cabinet of Ministers. At the meeting, the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
Colombo stock market recovers
The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) recovered today (April 27) with the All Share Price Index moving up by 5.43% and the S&P SL20 Index moving up by 13.52% at the market closure. At the time of the market closure, the ASPI was recorded at 7,280.52, an increase by 375.12 points. Meanwhile, the S&P SL20 Index went up by 287.46 points to 2,413.42. More than 144 million shares were traded overall within the day and the market turnover was recorded above Rs. 2.18 billion.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
IMF’s forecast on Sri Lanka’s economic growth this year
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is forecasting the economy of Sri Lanka to grow by 2.6% this year down from 3.6% in 2021. In its World Economic Outlook (WEO), a survey published twice a year, the IMF showed a projection of 2.7% for Sri Lanka’s real GDP growth. The IMF has meanwhile urged Sri Lanka to tighten its monetary policy, raise tax and adopt flexible exchange rates to address its debt crisis. The acting director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf said the requirement for fund lending will be... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
“Ill timed, unconventional decisions, huge foreign credit led to current crisis”
Several ill timed and unconventional decisions and taking huge amounts of foreign credit by successive governments and also by this administration had led Sri Lanka to this current economic crisis, Minister of Mass Media Dr. Nalaka Godahewa said. Sri Lanka’s public debt has risen from 94% in 2019 to 119% of GDP in 2021. “Sri Lanka currently has to settle around USD 51 billion by 2026.” He said that key time bound decisions like going to the IMF on time were not taken by some... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
Serenity Group in Uganda rejects reports of Sri Lanka PM investing $10 bn
The Serenity Group Ltd. in Uganda has vehemently denied the social media reports which have said that Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has invested USD 10,000 million (USD 10 billion) in the group of companies. In a public statement, the company said it was brought to their attention that an article is circulating rampantly on social media, alleging Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to have invested USD 10,000 million (USD 10 billion) in their group of companies in Uganda. “We categorically and vehemently reject these... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
Will the rich swallow the bitter pill?
Ordinary people can hardly afford to buy a motorbike, leave alone SUVs The expected stasis in the economy due to the current crisis is something we Sri Lankans would have to get used to. Industry has faced the most difficult of times due to import restrictions, and the unfavourable dollar rate at which raw materials are imported. But the economy did not stand-still. Entrepreneurs took out cash loans and kept the economy going under the most trying circumstances. This situation has now changed.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
විමල්, ගම්මන්පිල හා වාසු මේ දැන් සිදුකල යුත්තේ කුමක්ද?
රට විනාශකාරී තත්වයකට ඇද දමා ඇත. මේ විනාශයට වගකිව යුත්තේ, වසර 74ක් මේ රට පාලනය කල දේශපාලකයින් නොව 2015 සිට 2019 නොවැම්බර් මාසය දක්වා මේ රට පාලනය කල රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ මහතා ප්රමුඛ රජයයි.ඔවුන්ගේ රජය පැමිණි විගස රටේ ව්‍යාපෘති නවතා දමා ඉතිරිකරගත් මුදලත්, බැදුම්කර වංචාව තුලින් රැස්කරගත් මුදලත්, හම්බන්තොට වරාය ඇතුළුව රාජ්ය දේපල විකුණා ගත මුදලත්, ඉතිහාසයේ ලබාගත් විශාලම ණය කන්දරාව නිසා ලද මුදලත්, අතුරුදන් කිරීම හේතුවෙන් නිර්මාණය වූ මේ අර්බුදය, ඉන්පසු බලය ලබාගත් ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂයන් විසින්,නිසිලෙස හඳුනා නොගැනීම නිසාත්, රාජ්ය නිලධාරින් විසින් නිසි කලට නිසි ලෙස මෙහි සත්‍යතාවය ඉස්මතුකර නොපෙන්වීම හේතුවෙනුත්, සැඟව තිබී මතුවුවකි.පළමුව කල... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
ගෝල්ඩන් පැරඩයිස් විසාව - ප්‍රශ්නයට විසඳුම නොවේ
ඇමරිකන් ඩොලර් ලක්ෂයක් (US$100,000) ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ බැංකුවක තැන්පත් කරන ඕනෑම විදේශිකයෙකුට ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ වසර 10ක් ජීවත් වීමේ නව විසාවක් රජය විසින් හඳුන්වා දී ඇත. ඒ අයට මේ රටේ රැකියා කිරීමේ වරප්‍රසාද පවා ලැබේ. එය ගෝල්ඩන් පැරඩයිස් වීසාව නමින් නම් කර ඇත. පලමුව, මෙවැනි වැදගත් විසාවක් මේ තරම් අඩු මුදලකට විකුනන්නේ මන්ද? මෙවැන්නක් සඳහා අඩුම තරමින් ඩොලර් ලක්ෂ 7 ½ ක් (US$750,000) වත් අය කල යුතුය. තවද එය ආපසු නොගෙවන මුදලක් විය යුතුය. මෙය හරියට රටේ වැදගත්ම දේපල වූ ගාළු මුවදොර පිටියේ තිබු හමුදා මුලස්ථාන භුමිය ශැන්ග්‍රීලා හෝටලයට ඇමරිකන් ඩොලර් 50ක් වැනි සොච්චම්... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
රට අරාජික වීමට කිසිසේත් ඉඩ තබන්නෙ නැහැ - අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා
රට අරාජික වීමට කිසිසේත් ඉඩ නොතබන බවත් රටේ දේශපාලන ස්ථාවර භාවය පවත්වාගෙන යාම සඳහා ගන්නා තීරණ සමඟ කටයුතු කිරීමට සූදානම් බවත් අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා පැවසීය. පූජ්‍ය ඕමල්පේ සෝභිත ස්වාමීන්වහන්සේ ප්‍රධාන මහා සංඝරත්න අද (26) පස්වරුවේ අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේ දී හමු වූ අවස්ථාවේ අගමැතිතුමා මේ බව කියා සිටියේය. මහා නායක හිමිවරුන් නිකුත් කළ ලිපිය පිළිබඳව පූජ්‍ය ඕමල්පේ සෝභිත ස්වාමීන්වහන්සේ විසින් මෙහිදී අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා දැනුවත් කරනු ලැබූහ. අන්තර්වාර පාලන ආණ්ඩුවක් පිහිටුවීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් මෙහිදී මහා සංඝරත්නය සිය අදහස් පළ කළහ. අන්තර්වාර පාලන ආණ්ඩුවක් පිහිටුවීමට අවශ්ය නම් ඒ සම්බන්ධව... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
අර්බුද අරගල වල Tom Sawyer ලා
American ජනාධිපතිගේ වැටුප අවුරුද්දට ඩොලර් ලක්ෂ 4 ය. මිලියන් 44 ජීවත් වන්නේ Food Stamp අතිරේක පෝෂණ ආධාර වැඩසටහනින්ය. Zeලෙන්ස්කි comedian කෙනෙකි ඔහුගේ ජෝක්වලට හිනා යන්නේය. හැඬේන්නේය ඔහුට ගෙවීමක් ලැබෙන්නේය. ෆයිට් එක නොනවත්වා ගෙනයාමට ඔහු ඉල්ලන්නේ මසකට ඇමරිකන් ඩොලර් Billion 2 ක්ය. ජෝකර් කෙනෙකුට ලැබෙන ලොකුම මුදලය. සටනට යුධ අවි අමතරව... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවා වෙනුවෙන් පවතින පෝලිම් වහා නැති කළ යුතුයි - අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා
පසුගිය ආණ්ඩුව අපට භාරදුන්නේ ආර්ථිකය වගේම ජාතික ආරක්ෂාවත් බිඳ වට්ටපු රටක්මේ වෙලාවේ උද්ගත වෙලා තියෙන තත්ත්වය අපි එකින් එක විසඳමින් ඉන්නේජාත්‍යන්තර මූල්‍ය අරමුදල වගේම මිත්‍ර රටවල් අපට උදව් කරන්න සූදානම් වෙලා ඉන්නවා ඉන්ධන, ගෑස්, විදුලිය හා ඖෂධ ඇතුළු අත්‍යවශ්‍ය සේවා වෙනුවෙන් පවතින බාධා මෙන්ම ඒ වෙනුවෙන් පවතින පෝලිම් ක්‍රමය අප විසින් වහා නතර කළ යුතු යැයි අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා පැවසීය. කෙටි කාලයක් තුළ පෝලිම් නතර කිරීමේ හැකියාව ඇති බවට විශ්වාසය පලකළ අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා එම ප්‍රශ්න නිරාකරණය කළ වහාම භාණ්ඩ මිල පාලනය කරන සාකච්ඡාව ආරම්භ කළ යුතු යැයි කියා... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා ඉල්ලා අස්විය යුතු නැතැයි පළාත් සභා මන්ත්‍රී සංසදය ඒකමතිකව තීන්දු කරයි
අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා හෝ ආණ්ඩුව ඉල්ලා අස්විය යුතු නැති බව පළාත් සභා මන්ත්‍රී සංසදය අද (26) දින පෙරවරුවේ ඒකමතිකව යෝජනාවක් සම්මත කළේය. අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා සහ ආණ්ඩුවේ මැති ඇමතිවරුන් හා පළාත් සභා මන්ත්‍රී සංසදය අතර අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේදී අද පෙරවරුවේ පැවති රැස්වීමේ දී මෙම යෝජනා සම්මතයට එළැඹිණි. ඒ අනුව මෙම යෝජනාව ජනාධිපති ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ මහතාට ද දැනුම් දීමට පළාත් සභා මන්ත්‍රී සංසදය මෙහිදී තීරණය කළේය. පවතින ආර්ථික අර්බුදයෙන් රට මුදා ගැනීමට ඉදිරියටත් අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා අග්රාමාත්ය ධුරයේ කටයුතු කිරීම අත්‍යවශ්‍ය බව පළාත් සභා මන්ත්‍රී සංසදයේ සාමාජිකයෝ මෙහිදී පෙන්වා දුන්හ. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
LankaPropertyWeb Celebrates its 15th Anniversary With a Focus on the Post Pandemic World
LankaPropertyWeb Sri Lanka’s number one real estate platform celebrated its 15 year anniversary since inception on the 22nd of April 2022. The real estate company was founded in 2007 offering digital listings for the real estate market in Sri Lanka. Currently it is the largest real estate platform in the country providing a complete service in property buying, selling and investing. The 15 year celebration marks a significant milestone in the company's history as now the website has over 500,000 monthly visits from more than 70 countries including Sri Lanka. It... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
Has suffrage got us looking into a permanent precipice? 
The right to vote and the right to be elected are two of the most fundamental rights that we cherish. We would never imagine that they could also be an obstacle to our country’s development. Most, despite their limited civic knowledge, would never consider exchanging this franchise for any other political system with lesser rights. Any argument contrary to the preservation of these democratic rights would be anathema to a majority of the people even if there are political systems that have achieved better societal and developmental outcomes without these rights. Despite the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 27/04/22)
Essence of Righteousness (Taqwa).
(Given below is an excerpt of the Friday Sermon delivered by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Supreme Head of the world-wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam, on 22nd April, 2022, at ‘Masjid Mubarak’, Islamabad, Tilford, U.K. gave a discourse on Essence of Taqwa (righteousness). Ahmadiyya Head (Khalifa) His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah strengthen his hands) after reciting Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, said that these days we are passing through the month of Ramadan and about 20 days have elapsed. His Holiness may Allah strengthen his hands) said that by the grace of Allah, believers do... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 26/04/22)
එක්සත් ශ්‍රී ලංකා රාජ්‍යයට මග - (2015 - 2025)
1. ඔරුමිත්ත්නාඩු නමින් උතුරු-නැගෙනහිර වෙනම රාජ්‍යයක් බිහි කිරීමේ බෙදුම්වාදීන්ගේ 2015-19 ව්‍යවස්ථාමය උත්සාහය අසාර්ථක වේ. යහපාලන ආණ්ඩුව බිඳ වැටේ. 2. ලංකාවේ ආර්ථිකය බිඳ නොදමා ෆෙඩරල් රාජ්‍යය බිහි කළ නොහැකි බව බෙදුම්වාදීන්ට ඒත්තු යයි. 3. ආර්ථික මර්මස්ථානයක් වන විදේශ සංචාරක කර්මාන්තය බිඳ දැමීම සඳහා කොළඹ සුපිරි හෝටල් ඉලක්ක කරගත් පාස්කු ප්‍රහාරය දියත් කෙරේ. එයට සමගාමීව කතෝලික පල්ලි ඉලක්ක කරගනිමින් කළ ප්‍රහාරය හරහා නැගෙනහිර මුස්ලිම් ආධිපත්‍යයට එරෙහිව බටහිර ක්‍රිස්තියානි ජාත්‍යන්තර විරෝධයක් ඇති වේ. මුස්ලිම්-දෙමළ සීතල යුද්ධය තීව්‍ර වේ. 4. බෙදුම්වාදීන් අනුග්‍රහය දැක්වූ සජිත් ප්‍රේමදාස අභිබවා ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ බහුතර සිංහල බෞද්ධ ඡන්දයෙන් ලංකාවේ හත්වන... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 26/04/22)
“I will not resign”: PM Rajapaksa reiterates
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today (April 26) reiterated that he does not intend to step down from his position. “I will not resign, don’t worry,” PM Rajapaksa said during an audience with the Provincial Council Members’ Forum this morning. The forum passed a unanimous resolution that the prime minister should not vacate his position at the moment... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 26/04/22)
World Bank to provide USD 600 Mn in financial assistance to Sri Lanka
The World Bank has agreed to provide USD 600 million in financial assistance to address the current economic crisis in Sri Lanka, the President’s Media Division (PMD) says. The World Bank Country Manager Chiyo Kanda, has stated that USD 400 million will be released shortly, as the first tranche. Ms. Chiyo Kanda’s remarks came during a meeting between World Bank representatives and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the President’s House in Colombo, today (26). This financial assistance will be provided to meet medicinal drugs and health needs, social security, agricultural and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 26/04/22)
Sri Lanka to issue long-term residence visa for foreign investors
The government has decided to implement a new methodology to issue long-term residence visa for foreigners in Sri Lanka. The approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was given to the following proposals tabled by the President in his capacity as the Defence Minister: • Issuing long-term residence visa from 5 to 10 years for foreigners and directors, their spouses and their dependents of foreign companies who invest at least USD 75,000 or more in condominium properties. This will depend on the amount of US dollars invested. • Implementing ‘Golden Paradise... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 26/04/22)
Cabinet nod to allow specific sectors of economy to import fuel individually
The Cabinet of Ministers has given the approval to amend the Petroleum Products Act to allow specific sectors of the economy to individually import and use the fuel they require. The proposal was presented by Minister of Energy Kanchana Wijesekara. As fuel is essential for all economic activities in the country, it has been identified that it is appropriate to issue licenses to selected specific sectors of the economy to import and use the fuel they require individually, the Government Information Department said in a statement. Thereby, the legal draftsman... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 26/04/22)
IMF urges Sri Lanka to tighten monetary policy, raise tax to address debt woes
Sri Lanka must tighten monetary policy, raise tax and adopt flexible exchange rates to address its debt crisis, a senior International Monetary Fund (IMF) official said on Tuesday. The country of 22 million people has requested loans from the IMF as it struggles to pay for imports amid crushing debt and a sharp drop in foreign exchange reserves that has fueled soaring inflation. “We’ve had very good, fruitful, technical discussions on preparations for the negotiations with authorities over the past weekend and couple of days before,” said Anne-Marie Gulde-Wolf, acting director of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 26/04/22)
Other countries can mention God – but Sri Lanka can’t mention Buddha
Every time Sri Lanka mentions the words Sinhalese, Buddhists or Buddhism the whole world appears to get agitated & they take pains to showcase why there should be no reference to Sinhala Buddhists or the Buddhist ethos that governs this island nation. In short, there is a well-funded & well-campaigned effort to remove the Sinhala Buddhist heritage except to place it as a coffee table book or adorn a mantlepiece. These demands are conveyed through various international organizations, foreign governments, local NGOs funded from overseas & by hired local mouthpieces. These demands... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
How the Yahapalanaya Govt booby trapped the Rajapaksa Govt
How did the Yahapalanaya booby trap the Rajapaksa Govt so that the R Bros would be trapped for Yahapalanaya's sins? In 2014 the external debt was $42,262,755,067. By 2019 during the time the Yahapalanaya was in power, the external debt had gone up to $56,095,468,647, How did this happen? * The Yahapalanaya Govt introduced "Neo-Liberal" policies when they came into power. This enabled the Western countries to export their goods to Sri Lanka. Many local industries which were producing goods went under since the imported items were better and cheaper. * In... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
How privatization of public assets takes place in Sri Lanka : Lanka Marine Services to JKH in 2002
There are many who claim that the only solution to Sri Lanka’s economic problem is to privatize public assets. These are promoted by western monetary bodies & local corporates take advantage of the corruptions that exist in the bureaucracy. In essence, what needs to be accepted is that it is not only the politicians who are corrupt but the Secretaries, the corporate bigwigs in Sri Lanka as well as the foreign investors. Privatization of Lanka Marine Service to JKH. Case filed by Vasudeva Nanayakkara FR 158/2007 https://whistleblower.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/SLIC_SC_Judgment.pdf... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
රජය පුරවැසියන්ගෙන් රත්තරං මිලයට ගැනීම සහ අපේ බැංකු කඩා වැටීමේ සම්භාවිතාව ගැන
රත්තරං 2019 නොවැම්බර් වලදී රටේ ශුද්ධ ඩොලර් සංචිතය බිලියන 7 ඉක්මවා තිබුණි, සැලකිය යුතු තරම් විශාල රත්තරං සංචිතයක්ද විය. අද මේවා පිලිවෙලින් ඩොලර් මිලියන 100 සහ ඉතාම අඩු රත්තරං සංචිතයක් බවට පත්ව ඇත. දැන් ඉන්දියාවෙන් සහ චීනයෙන් දෙන ණය සහ ආධාර මත යැපෙමින් එදිනෙදා වේල පිරිමසා ගන්නා තත්වයකට අප පත්ව සිටිමු. තත්ත්වය මෙසේ තිබියදී අපේම උත්සාහයන් වලින් ඩොලර් සොයා ගැනීමට රජය කිසිදු වෑයමක් දරුනු ලබන බවක් නොපෙනේ. නව මාර්ග බොහෝමයක් ඇත; රජයට ඒ ගැන කිසිදු උවමනාවක් නැති ගානය. එසේ නොමැතිනම්, නිර්මාණශීලී ලෙස සිතීමේ හැකියාවක් රජයට නොමැත. එක් උදාහරණයක් නම මැද... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
China makes signing FTA a condition for helping Sri Lanka
Colombo, April 25: Fed up with the lack of progress in talks with Sri Lanka on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) since 2015, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa on April 22, that while China has empathy for Sri Lanka’s economic plight and is keen on helping it, there ought to be “an early start of the negotiation and signing of the Free Trade Agreement, so as to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation.” Li was warning that further dilly dallying on the FTA will affect the flow of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
SL’s negotiations with IMF will unavoidably impact securing USD 2.5 bn from China
Sri Lanka’s ongoing negotiations with the IMF will unavoidably impact its discussions with China for securing US $ 2.5 billion, China's Ambassador Qi Zhenhong said. In an interactive dialogue with a team of journalists, he said China was closely monitoring the negotiations to know the terms and conditions . He said debt restructuring would be a key component of the IMF as he could fathom from experience. He also said that China's support to Sri Lanka will not be based on a particular party or Government. No matter who... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
Sri Lanka exchange halts again after 13 per cent plunge
April 26, 2022 COLOMBO (AFP) – Crisis-hit Sri Lanka’s stock exchange halted again yesterday after a nearly 13 per cent plunge, derailing the bourse’s tentative re-opening after a two-week break aimed at forestalling a market collapse. The island nation is grappling with its worst economic downturn since independence in 1948, with months of regular blackouts and acute shortages of food and fuel. Equities have shed nearly 40 per cent of their value since January, with the local currency falling by a similar amount against the greenback in the past month.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
Sri Lanka’s Economic Crisis: The Myth Of Debt Trap Vs The Reality Of Identity
Sri Lanka is undergoing a severe economic crisis and is at the risk of devolving into a failed state. The country’s foreign reserves are fast depleting, falling from $5 billion in 2019 to 1.8 billion in 2021, despite high inflation and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 110 per cent. From health to defence, the nation is attempting to reorganise its affairs. Meanwhile, other speculations about the origins of the crisis have evolved, ranging from Covid to debt-trap diplomacy. The debt trap of China and Covid is marketed as the source of the crisis. They are, however,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
Sri Lanka Cabinet Clears Proposal to Clip President’s Power
(Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka’s cabinet approved a plan to abolish constitutional amendments that gave President Gotabaya Rajapaksa wide-ranging executive powers, acceding to one of the key demands from citizens protesting his economic policies as the ruling family tries to stay in office. A proposal by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa -- the president’s brother -- to return to the 19th amendment of the constitution “with necessary changes” has been approved, government spokesman Rohan Welivita said in a statement Monday. He didn’t specify the changes. The decision follows an announcement from officials of the main... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
‘Debt Trap’ is only a myth – Chinese Ambassador
The financial departments and institutes of China and Sri Lanka are still working closely on the new financial requests raised by Sri Lanka, in the backdrop of the island nation’s temporary suspension of debt payment and the talks of debt restructuring with IMF, says the Chinese Ambassador to Colombo. https://youtu.be/eBoAV4ifK5A Ambassador Qi Zhenhong stated this during a free and open dialogue with a group of local journalists held today (25), on a wide range of topics including China’s aid to Sri Lanka, financial and economic cooperation to overcome current crisis,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
Cabinet approves proposal for 21st Amendment to Constitution
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to introduce the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, based on the positive features of the 19th and 20th amendments. Meanwhile a sub-committee has been appointed to carry out further action with regard to the proposed 21st constitutional amendment. Earlier today, the committee report on constitutional reforms had been handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Secretary to the President, Gamini Senarath said the Report of the Committee on Constitutional Reform has been received and that the contents of the Report will be... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
President’s reply letter to Chief Prelates of Three Chapters
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has replied to the letter sent by the Chief Prelates of the Three Buddhist Chapters dated on 20.04.2022 addressing the President, the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and all party leaders in Parliament regarding the current situation in the country. https://youtu.be/OQdnktYWq4E The President’s Media Division has released excerpts of the letter to the media today (25). The President acknowledged that he has by no means ignored the contents of the set of proposals which the Venerable Theras had previously sent to him. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
A Staged Default? Sri Lanka’s Sovereign Bond Debt trap and IMF’s Spring Meetings
In Cherry Blossom lined Washington DC in the glare of global media last week Sri Lanka became the poster child of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF), Spring Meetings. The strategic Indian Ocean island’s pathetic plight featured on major media and television channels that craft the global narrative, with images of people in queues amid food, fuel, and medicine shortages due to its crashing currency, soaring cost of living and ‘Arab Spring’ style protests. One of the wealthier nations in the South Asia region and listed as a lower Middle Income County (MIC), Sri Lanka... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
සෘතුමය ඉන්ෆ්ලූඑන්සාව කොවිඞ් බවට රූපාන්තරණය වී තිබේ ද,?ලොක් ඩවුන් කිරීම්වලට පදනම් කරගනු ලබන්නේ දෝෂ සහිත පීසීආර් පරීක්‍ෂණ, වැදගැම්මකට නැති දත්ත හා වසංගත රෝග විද්‍යාත්මක ආකෘතීන් ද?
කොවිඞ්-19 ලොව තවත් බොහෝ ප‍්‍රදේශ වල දේශපාලන වම සහ දකුණ අතර වෙනස්කම් නො පැහැදිලි තත්වයට පත් කර තිබේ. සාමාන්‍යයෙන් අයිතිවාසිකම් හා නිදහස ගැන උනන්දුවක් දක්වන සංවිධාන, සංගම් හා දේශපාලන පක්ෂ- ඒවා කම්කරු, සුළුතර ජන කොටස්, කාන්තා සංවිධාන විය හැකිය- දැන් වඩ වඩාත් සංචරණ සීමාවන්, මිලිටරීකරණය කරන ලද සෞඛ්‍ය පද්ධතීන්, බලාත්කාරි එන්නත්කරණය සමාජය හා ආර්ථිකය ඩිජිටලීකරණයට ලක් කිරීම හා දැඩි සුපරික්ෂාකාරිත්වය වඩ වඩාත් ඕනෑකමින් භාර ගනිමින් ඒවා ප‍්‍රවර්ධනය කිරීමට ක‍්‍රියා කරමින් සිටිති. යාම්ඊම් හා රැස්වීම් සඳහා පුරවැසියන්ට පවතින නිදහස හා එන්නත් ලබා නො ගෙන සිටීමට පවතින අයිතිය සීමා කිරීම, මානව හිමිකම් වෙනුවෙන් පෙනී සිටින කණ්ඩායම්... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 25/04/22)
How privatization of public assets takes place in Sri Lanka : Lanka Marine Services to JKH in 2002
There are many who claim that the only solution to Sri Lanka’s economic problem is to privatize public assets. These are promoted by western monetary bodies & local corporates take advantage of the corruptions that exist in the bureaucracy. In essence, what needs to be accepted is that it is not only the politicians who are corrupt but the Secretaries, the corporate bigwigs in Sri Lanka as well as the foreign investors. Privatization of Lanka Marine Service to JKH. Case filed by Vasudeva Nanayakkara FR 158/2007 https://whistleblower.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/SLIC_SC_Judgment.pdf President –... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
Financing fuel for the production of Electricity
It is sad that even today when we have to live with power cuts, we yet do not realize the wind power that Mother Nature has provided for us. We have been toying with the sea breeze in Hambantota and Mannar, merely a plan by our Coal and Oil Lobby to prove that wind power will not turn the wind turbines- they plan and fix wind turbines where the wind has the least force- only a sea breeze! I enclose a quote from ee.com which comments on my Paper: Buying Power from Multinationals. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
“රෝමය ගිනි ගනිද්දී නීරෝ වීණා වාදනය කරයි" පැරණි කියමනක්”
“මුලු ලක්දිවම අරාජිකව ගිනිගෙන දැවෙද්දී ඝෝථාභය ඇමතිවරුන් සහ රාජ්ය ඇමතිවරුන් පත්කරයි” අද්යතන කියමනක් මුළු රටම අද ඉතිහාසයේ මින් පෙර කිසිම දිනක නොවූ පරිදි එදිනෙදාට අත්යාවශ්ය බඩු හිඟය, දැරිය නොහැකි බඩු මිල, දවසේ වැඩ අවසන්වි පැය ගනන් පෝලිම්වල සිට සවසට නිවසට ගේන හාල් ඇටය තම්බා ගැනීමට මෙන්ම පවස නිවා ගැනීමට තේ කහට ටිකක් රත්කර ගැනීමට ගෑස්ලිපේ ගෑස් නැත. පාරවල් දිගේ පෙට්‍රල්,ඩීසල් සහ ගෑස් පෝලිම්ය, රැය පුරා මුලු රටම අඳුරේය. කම්හල් නැවතිලා ඒවාද වැසී යාමට ආසන්නය, එසේ වුවහොත් ඒවායේ රැකියාකරණ උන්ට යන එන මන් නැතිව, ඔවුන් කුසගින්නේ මිය යනු ඇත.පෝලිම්වල තැන තැන මිනිසුන් ඇදවැටී... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
JUDICIAL INTERVENTION
It is an axiom that the three organs or pillars of any government are the executive, legislature, and the judiciary. For effective governance in a country all three organs must stand firm and support each other. In Sri Lanka the two organs of the executive and the legislature are in an existential crisis. It is not understood how the other organ has not shown any interest in this unprecedented crisis and the estrangement of the Executive and the legislature with the people. In our neighbor India, the Indian Judiciary has developed a jurisprudence of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
සිස්ටම් චේන්ජ්
(A song adapted from "මන්ද නාව කාරණාව" by නන්දා මාලිනි) මන්ද 'නෑව' කාරණාවයන්න උන්ගෙ වන්දනාවඋඹ හරි මෝඩයි ළමයෝමේ ටික අහපන් ළමයෝ..//හැත්තෑඑකේ ලණු කෑවා හැටදාහක් මරලාඅසුනවයේ ලණු ගිල්ලා ඊට වඩා මරලාතිස් අවුරුදු සාපෙ වැදී තව ගානක් මරලාදෙදාස්නවයේ තිත තිබ්බට මහමොලකරු කිපිලා..//මන්ද 'නෑව' කාරණාව..බෙදා පාලනේ දැක දැක මහමොලකරුවන්නේ පන්සිය වසරක් ලක්මව් හිටියා අඬමින්නේහැත්තහතේ ඉඳන් රටේ සාරේ උරපු උන්නේමන්දට අසු නොවන් ළමයො දුර දිග බලපන්නේ..//මන්ද 'නෑව' කාරණාව..අදිසිහස්ත මහමොලකරු නැවතත් වැඩ අල්ලාලංකා වසන්තෙට තටමයි තවත් කමුද ඉල්ලාරිලව් වගේ පිණුම් නොගහ ඉහ මොළ ටික හොල්ලාවවන් කන්න පටන් ගනිමු කුඹුරට බැහැපල්ලා..//මන්ද 'නෑව' කාරණාව..හොරා ගත්තු අපේ සල්ලි අපට ඕන කියලතැන්පත් කල ගිණුම් නාම... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
Still no justice after three years
Is the manner of calling for proper investigation of the Bloody Easter Sunday Tragedy a true pursuit of Justice or an invidious attempt to side track the focus and instead indulge in blame games in step with the religio - political loyalties and leanings of the callers for 'Justice'? Eight suicide bombers died on that day and they took with them the lives of 269 innocent people who happened to be in three churches and three luxury Hotels. These suicide bombers are directly responsible for these deaths. Because if they did not... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
The brink and beyond….
A line has been crossed. That’s the title of a note doing the rounds referring to the ongoing protests and specifically to the fatal shooting of a protester in Rambukkana. Yes, a line has been crossed. If anything marked the agitation until this point, barring of course the odd incident of mutual provocation leading to words and fisticuffs, it is the commendable determination of the agitated, especially at Galle Face, in maintaining the parameters of peaceful protest. This has been equalled by the absolute determination of the armed forces and police to keep... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
ජනාධිපති ධූරය අත් හැර ගියොත් ඉන්පසු ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාව ක්‍රියාත්මක වෙනවද? නැද්ද? ජනාධිපති ධූරය අත්හැරියාට පසු වෙනදේ සහ නොවෙනදේ බලා ඉන්න ආසයි...
ජනාධිපති ධූරය අත් හැර ගියොත් ඉන්පසු ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාව ක්‍රියාත්මක වෙනවද? නැද්ද? ජනාධිපති ධූරය අත්හැරියාට පසු වෙනදේ සහ නොවෙනදේ බලා ඉන්න ආසයි... 1) තෙල්, ගෑස් පෝලින්....විදුලිය කප්පාදුව නතර වීම සහ බඩු මිල අඩුවීම.2) රටට ඩොලර් ගැලීම වේගවත් වීම.3) බුද්ධාගමට ප්‍රමුඛස්ථානය හිමිවීම සහ බුද්ධ ශාසන අමාත්‍යාංශය රාජ්‍යයේ ප්‍රධානියා විසින් දැරීම.4) රාජ්ය දේපල සහ ආයතන විකිණීම, බදු දීම නැවතීම.5) නීතියේ පාලනය තහවුරු වීම.6)බලවතා විසින් දුබලයා පෙළීම නතර වීම.7) 13වන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනය අහෝසි වීම.8) ඒකීය යන්න ස්ථාවර වී ෆෙඩරල්, සන්ධීය යන්න සාකච්ඡාවට නොගැනීම.9) දේශීය නිෂ්පාදන ආර්ථිකය වර්ධනය වීම.10)නීතිය සිංහල... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
An open letter to all Sri Lankans and friends of Sri Lanka living in New Zealand.
Dear Sri Lankans and friends of Sri Lanka, As you are aware Sri Lanka is currently going through the worst economic crisis since our Independence. For our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka this situation has transformed itself into an endless sequence of hardship – lack of basic food essentials, vital medicines, life supporting medical equipment and many other basic rudiments of life. This letter is not to debate or analyse how and why our motherland is experiencing these hardships. This letter is about helping our motherland NOW and providing... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
ගෝල්ෆේස් විරෝධතාවයට රිංගන ‘කාක්කන්’ ගැන විමල් කියයි..
මේ මොහොතේ කළ යුත්තේ ජනාධිපතිවරයා ද ඉවත්කර රට තවදුරටත් අස්ථාවර කිරීම නොවන බවත් ඔහු රටට අභිවෘද්ධිය සලසන වැඩපිළිවෙළකට සහ රට පිළිබඳ සාමූහික තීන්දු ගන්නා සියලු පක්ෂවලින් සැදුම්ලත් ජාතික සභාවකට එකඟ කරවාගෙන අගමැතිවරයා ඇතුළු පවතින ආණ්ඩුව පූර්ණ ලෙස ඉවත් කර අන්තර්කාලීන ආණ්ඩුවක් පිහිටුවීම බවත් ජාතික නිදහස් පෙරමුණේ නායක, පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී විමල් වීරවංශ මහතා පෙන්වා දෙයි. කොළඹ සම්බුද්ධත්ව ජයන්ති මන්දිර ශ්‍රවණාගාරයේ දී ‘රට අර්බුදයෙන් ගොඩගත හැකිද?’ යන තේමාව යටතේ පැවති සිය විශේෂ දේශනය සිදු කරමින් ඒ මහතා මෙසේ පෙන්වා දුන්නේය. එහිදී වැඩිදුරටත් අදහස් දැක්වූ වීරවංශ මහතා මෙසේද සඳහන් කළේය. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
Policy changes needed to make external debt sustainable
Colombo, April 23 (Counterpoint): Sri Lanka is negotiating with the IMF for help to overcome the present forex crisis. But the IMF’s prescriptions could be challenging. It has already made it clear that Sri Lanka has to set its house in order before aid can flow even in the form of the emergency Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI). The IMF’s representative in Sri Lanka, Masahiro Nozaki, told Reuters that since Sri Lanka’s external debt is unsustainable, it has to take steps to ensure debt sustainability. It has to restructure debts owed to foreign... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
ආර්ථික අර්බුදයට වගකිව යුත්තේ රජයයි.. බැසිල් කල යෝජනාවක් හෙලි කරමින් කබ්රාල් කියයි…
රටේ උද්ගතව ඇති ආර්ථික අර්බුදයට වගකිව යුත්තේ හිටපු මහ බැංකු අධිපති අජිත් නිවාඩ් කබ්රාල් බවට එල්ලවන චෝදනාවකි. ඔහු මහ බැංකු අධිපති ධුරයට පත් වූයේ මුදල් රාජ්ය ඇමැති ධුරයද අත්හරිමිනි. දැන් ඔහුට අල්ලපු අත්තත් නැත, පය ගහපු අත්තත් නැත. මේ ඒ ගැන ඔහු කියන කතාවය. කොහොමද ඔබට දැන් සැපද? මට දැන් ආතතියක් නැහැ. මහ බැංකු අධිපතිවරයෙක් විදිහට ලොකු ආතතියකින් තමයි කටයුතු කරන්න සිදු වෙන්නෙ. මම සාමාන්‍යයෙන් ආතතිය පිටට පෙන්වන්නේ නැහැ. මම දැන් ඒ ආතතියෙන් මිදිලයි ඉන්නෙ. රට ගැන හිතෙනකොට නම් මට යම් ආතතියක් දැනෙනවා. නමුත් ඒ වෙලාවේ තිබුණු ආතතිය දැන් නම්... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
IMF holds 'fruitful' talks with Sri Lanka on loan programme
Discussions emphasised the need for implementing a 'credible and coherent' strategy to restore macroeconomic stability. The International Monetary Fund said it had “fruitful technical discussions” with Sri Lanka on its request for a loan programme, as the island nation grapples with a severe economic crisis that has sparked protests across the country. IMF staff and the Sri Lankan delegation, which met from April 18 to April 22, discussed policy actions to address the country's economic challenges, the Washington-based lender said in a statement. The talks covered... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
FM Sitharaman asks IMF, World Bank to give Sri Lanka low-income tag
This comes as India's southern neighbour deals with its worst-ever economic crisis. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Sri Lanka could be given temporary classification as a lower-income country — from the current middle-income status — to help it restructure its debt. And, it should also be given emergency funding similar to the one granted to Ukraine. These were the recommendations made by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank last week, according to sources. This comes as India’s southern neighbour deals with its worst-ever economic crisis. Sitharaman... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
Sri Lanka’s humanitarian crisis could be the start of a political upheaval
Severe shortages of fuel, food and medicine appear to have unified Sri Lankans against the ruling Rajapaksa family Protesters outside the president’s office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Thursday. Photograph: Eranga Jayawardena/AP Sun 24 Apr 2022 15.07 BST Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented political and economic emergency, a result of government mismanagement and the effect of global crises. But the tiny island nation is also seeing signs of cathartic revival. Despite longstanding ethnic, religious, linguistic and regional fault lines in Sri Lankan society,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
Sri Lanka sends SOS for lifesaving and emergency medicine supplies
A mother and her child wait for medicines at the pharmacy in Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children in Colombo, Sri Lanka (Photo: AFP) Sri Lanka is seeking emergency aid to secure lifesaving drugs amid its worst economic crisis. The island nation, which imports 85% of its medicine requirements, has run out of dollars to pay for imports, putting its healthcare system on the brink of collapse NEW DELHI : Sri Lanka has reached out to the Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA) seeking supplies of emergency medicines and lifesaving drugs as hospitals run... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
125 MPs pledge support to NCM – Gammanpila
Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Leader Udaya Gammanpila said, the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against the Government will be presented to Parliament this week by the 11 constituent parties and the 42 independent MPs. He was confident that 125 MPs had already pledged their support to the NCM. “As a result, if the Government is defeated by the NCM, an SLPP MP will be appointed as Prime Minister, and an Interim Government will be formed. The draft NCM has been sent to the SJB, JVP, and SLPP, and they... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
IMF Team Statement on Sri Lanka - will support Sri Lanka’s efforts
IMF team for Sri Lanka completes initial technical discussions on an IMF-supported program and have issued a statement. The Statement:Washington, DC: During the 2022 IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and other senior members of IMF management met with a Sri Lankan delegation, led by Finance Minister Ali Sabry and Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe, and discussed policy actions to address economic challenges. The IMF team for Sri Lanka held initial technical discussions on an IMF-supported program with the delegation. Masahiro Nozaki,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
Present govt under PM Rajapaksa needs to step down – Charitha Herath
SLPP parliamentarian Prof. Charitha Herath says that he endorses former minister Dullas Alahapperuma’s suggestion calling for the resignation of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet as well as the forming of a national government. The former Media Minister on Friday had written a letter to the President stating that the prime minister and the, Cabinet must step down and let the parliament form a new coalition government. He had also urged the President to appoint a smaller cabinet with a genuine consensus representing all parties in parliament for a maximum of one... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
World Bank readies Sri Lanka aid package, IMF calls loan talks ‘fruitful’
(Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Saturday it held “fruitful technical discussions” with Sri Lanka on its loan request, while the World Bank said it was preparing an emergency aid package for the crisis-stricken country. Sri Lanka, an island country of 22 million people, is struggling to pay for imports amid a crushing debt crisis and sharp drop in foreign exchange reserves that has fueled soaring inflation. Prolonged power cuts and shortages of fuel, food and medicines have sparked nationwide protests. Sri Lankan Finance Minister Ali Sabry has been in... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
A Staged Default? Sri Lanka’s Sovereign Bond Debt trap and IMF’s Spring Meetings
In Cherry Blossom lined Washington DC in the glare of global media last week Sri Lanka became the poster child of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF), Spring Meetings. The strategic Indian Ocean island’s pathetic plight featured on major media and television channels that craft the global narrative, with images of people in queues amid food, fuel, and medicine shortages due to its crashing currency, soaring cost of living and ‘Arab Spring’ style protests. One of the wealthier nations in the South Asia region and listed as a lower Middle Income County (MIC), Sri Lanka... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
Easter Sunday Mass Murders: Don’t play politics with the dead
It has come to a level that even the dead are manipulated for political gain. The blame is now subtly being shifted with a twist for political purposes. These antics are not in any way helping the dead rest in peace. Sri Lanka has witnessed many deaths throughout its post-independence history. Thousands of innocent lives were eliminated for no reason. Majority of these crimes had invisible hands and we are yet to pinpoint the “mahamolakaru” of these killings. Anyone can make wild allegations but the present Easter Sunday inquiry has finalized cases... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 24/04/22)
The Singapore success story
Sri Lankans fondly hope to emulate the Singapore success story, and become another ‘Tiger‘ economy. But there are some major difficulties with that hope. The most glaring of these is the fact that the Chinese of Singapore are deeply engrained entrepreneurs and businessmen. To demonstrate that, in the 1950s and 1960s passenger cruise ships called in for re-fuelling and taking on water and food and there were the shipyards available for repairs. It was a safe haven for rich tourists on ‘round the world cruises’ to do some exotic tropical sightseeing and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
“රෝමය ගිනි ගනිද්දී නීරෝ වීණා වාදනය කරයි" පැරණි කියමනක්”
“මුලු ලක්දිවම අරාජිකව ගිනිගෙන දැවෙද්දී ඝෝථාභය ඇමතිවරුන් සහ රාජ්ය ඇමතිවරුන් පත්කරයි” අද්යතන කියමනක් මුළු රටම අද ඉතිහාසයේ මින් පෙර කිසිම දිනක නොවූ පරිදි එදි නෙදාට අත්යාවශ්ය බඩු හිඟය, දැරිය නොහැකි බඩු මිල, දවසේ වැඩ අවසන්වි පැයගනන් පෝලිම්වල සිට සවසට නිවසට ගේන හාල් ඇටය තම්බා ගැනීමට මෙන්ම පවස නිවා ගැනීමට තේ කහට ටිකක් රත්කර ගැනීමට ගෑස්ලිපේ ගෑස් නැත. පාරවල් දිගේ පෙට්‍රල්,ඩීසල් සහ ගෑස් පෝලිම්ය, රැය පුරා මුලු රටම අඳුරේය. කම්හල් නැවතිලා ඒවාද වැසී යාමට ආසන්නය, එසේ වුවහොත් ඒවායේ රැකියාකරණ උන්ට යන එන මන් නැතිව, ඔවුන් කුසගින්නේ මිය යනු ඇත.පෝලිම්වල තැන තැන මිනිසුන් ඇදවැටී... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
UNPRECEDENTED AND DIRE ECONOMIC CRISIS IN SRI LANKA There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Amidst the unprecedented and dire economic crisis in Sri Lanka and massive anti-government street protests turning into all-night vigil as thousands of demonstrators gather daily at the Galle Face Green in the capital city of Colombo, there is hope and light at the end of the tunnel. The latest information is that the World Bank stands ready to provide emergency support in addition to the credit line bailed out already with India. The World Bank says it is ready to provide emergency support to Sri Lanka and protect the vulnerable... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
Human suffering continues
Having read the Biblical account of how Adam and Eve were punished, one cannot help wondering if the pain and throes of labour were unknown to woman until the beginning of the era of Adam and Eve. A scientist will be hard to come by, who believes in such fantasies. Again, we have plenty of irrefutable evidence that man, long before Adam and Eve, had occupied all the continents of the world, even remote Pacific islands and had always laboured hard to survive. Therefore, to say that Adam and Eve were the first to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා සුපුරුදු සුවෙන්
තමන් සුපුරුදු සුවෙන් සිටින බව අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා පවසයි. අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා රෝහල්ගතව ප්‍රතිකාර ලබන බවට සමාජ මාධ්‍ය ඔස්සේ සංවිධානාත්මක කණ්ඩායමක් විසින් ගෙන යන අසත්‍ය ප්‍රචාරය සම්බන්ධයෙන් අදහස් දක්වමින් අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා මේ බව සඳහන් කළේය. රෝගීයකු බැලීමට හෝ මේ දිනවල තමන් රෝහලකට නොගිය බව පවසන අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා, දැනටත් තමන් ව්‍යායාමවල නිරතවෙමින් යහපත් සෞඛ්‍ය තත්ත්වයෙන් පසුවන බව පෙන්වා දෙයි. ඒ අනුව අසනීප තත්ත්වයකින් අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා පෞද්ගලික රෝහලක ප්‍රතිකාර ලබන බවට ගෙනයන ප්‍රචාරය අසත්‍යය වේ.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
Chinese assures support to SL for greater economic stability
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang has assured China’s continued support to Sri Lanka to assist in greater economic stability. During a phone conversation with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Chinese Premier said China empathizes with Sri Lanka for the difficulties and challenges it faces and asserted that China is ready to provide much-needed livelihood assistance for Sri Lanka within its capacity. The Chinese Premier also assured his Sri Lankan counterpart that China is ready to play a constructive role in Sri Lanka’s stable socio-economic development based on the principle of non-interference... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
Securing IMF funding will take time – Sabry
Sri Lanka is still in the early stages of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and it would take some time to secure funding, Finance Minister Ali Sabry noted yesterday (22). The Minister, who is in Washington, DC to hold discussions with the IMF, made this remark at an online Media briefing with Sri Lankan journalists. He also acknowledged that Sri Lanka had been slow to approach the IMF, in recent discussions with the organisation. Ali Sabry stated that discussions have been held with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB),... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
Call for abolition of executive presidency prevents consensus on proposed 21-A
SJB says SLPP rebels’ proposal doesn’t reflect demand for Gotabaya’s resignation The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) and the SLPP rebel group haven’t been able to iron out their differences as regards the urgently required proposed 21 Amendment to the Constitution meant to address the current political crisis amidst the worst post-independence economic fallout, political sources say. Parliamentary sources told The Island that the dispute was over the SJB’s push for the abolition of the executive presidency. Both groups have handed over their proposals to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
‘Fruitful’ technical talks held with Sri Lanka on loan request - IMF
The International Monetary Fund said on Saturday that its staff held “fruitful technical discussions” with Sri Lankan authorities on the crisis-wracked country’s request for an IMF-supported loan program this week. The Fund said in a statement that the discussions included the need for Sri Lanka to implement “a credible and coherent strategy” to restore macroeconoimc stability and to strengthen its social safety net and protect the poor and vulnerable during the current crisis. “The IMF team welcomed the authorities’ plan to engage in a collaborative dialogue with their creditors,” IMF Sri Lanka mission chief... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
China to extend support to SL
During a phone conversation with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, China’s Premier Li Keqiang assured his country’s support to Sri Lanka to facilitate greater stability in economic and social development. China feels for Sri Lanka for the difficulties and challenges you face, and we want to do our utmost to provide help to improve the peoples livelihoods in your country, Premier Li has told PM Rajapaksa. The Chinese Premier also assured Prime Minister Rajapaksa that China will work with the Sri Lankan government to address some of the urgent financial issues... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
UNP leader meets financial sector (Video)
The Leader of the United National Party, Parliamentarian Ranil Wickremesinghe states that the Indian loan scheme for fuel subsidies and the USD 1 billion credit line for essential commodities will be finished by the first week of May. He further stated that the country's economy and banking sector will be at high risk as a result. https://youtu.be/C8Jur47hSzc... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
I want to be the PM in an interim government - PM (Video)
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa states that if an interim government is to be formed, it should be done under his leadership. He made this statement in an interview issued by the Prime Minister's Media Unit. https://youtu.be/HZKoSdI2R0Q However, the group of 41 independent parliamentarians have focused on supporting the no-confidence motion brought by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya or bringing a new no-confidence motion if the Prime Minister does not step down from the cabinet. Meanwhile, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka states that economic stability or... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
Rambukkana youth released on bail - No one to place bail
The youth taken into custody by the CID for allegedly attempting to set fire to the fuel bowser at Rambukkana, has been released on two surety bails of Rs.100,000 each by Kegalle Magistrate Court. However, no one placed bail. The youth who was arrested for allegedly setting fire to or attempting to set fire to a fuel bowser in the Rambukkana incident has been remanded. The youth was produced before the Kegalle Magistrate's Court this afternoon. Acting Magistrate Malcolm Machado ordered that the suspect be released on two... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 23/04/22)
The IMF Has Learned Nothing From The Greek Crisis
The IMF has just published a new review of Argentina’s economy. It is grim reading. Argentina is in trouble: economic conditions have worsened considerably since the last IMF review, back in June 2018. But the review also reveals that the IMF could be in even bigger trouble. It is repeating the same mistakes it made in the Greek crisis – but with a much larger amount of money at stake. Nicolas Dujovne, Argentina's treasury minister, left, greets Christine Lagarde, managing director of... [+] Argentina has been struggling all year.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
IMF admits: we failed to realise the damage austerity would do to Greece
IMF chief Christine Lagarde. Greek media recently quoted her describing 2011 as a 'lost year', partly because of IMF mistakes. Photograph: Stephane Mahe/Reuters The International Monetary Fund admitted it had failed to realise the damage austerity would do to Greece as the Washington-based organisation catalogued mistakes made during the bailout of the stricken eurozone country. In an assessment of the rescue conducted jointly with the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European commission, the IMF said it had been forced to override its normal rules for providing financial assistance... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
පිටි කිරි වලට ඇමරිකන් විසඳුම්
අපේ කොල්ලන් කෙල්ලන් අරගල කරන්නේ, පිටි කිරි බොන්න නැති නිසාය . highway එකේ රේස් යන්න ඉන්ධන නැති නිසාය පැය 24රේම විදුලි පංකා වැඩ නොකරන නිසාය වායු සමිකරණයේ සමිකරණය විසඳා ගන්න බැරි නිසාය tv එකේ, අයි ෆෝනයේ එල්ලී ගෙන ඉන්න විදුලි-බලය නැති නිසාය පිටි කිරි වෙනුවට පොල් කිරි සෝයා කිරි කොට්ටම්බා කිරි මයියොක්කා කිරි තේ කෝපි වලට ගැලපේය අපට ඕනෑ කරන්නේ මොනවා හෝ ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
Is Sri Lanka & Sri Lankans ready to face tough IMF conditions?
Sri Lanka is in a crisis. How much of that crisis is to be blamed on every government that ruled Sri Lanka since 1978 who have gone to monetary lending institutes for loans for loan repayment/development & meet budget deficits? From 1980s to 2009 much of the country’s expense went to defeating terror. Then post-war economic development. Then regime change in 2015 & from 2019 Sri Lanka faced a covid pandemic. Without a doubt every government that ruled has failed in managing the fiscal affairs of the country. We have spent beyond... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
Is Sri Lanka being manipulated by elements from within and leading it towards anarchy?
“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
Where the Galle face protests are heading for…
Proposals to have a corruption free government which will not disrespect the generations of values of the Sinhalese society that protected and saved this country for last 2500 years We have seen our motherland deteriorating very seriously in economic, political and technical aspects along with the spiritual values of the society. It has come to a socially unacceptable level where the country wide public protests erupted. Fortunately and wisely, these protests in general took the peaceful path. (The acts of mobs not considered a part of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
ගෝල්පේස් වනාන්තරය, ගෝඨාභයගේ දෙවන යුද්ධය හා බෞද්ධ මධ්‍යම ප්‍රතිපදා විසඳුම - (2 කොටස)
ජේ.ආර් මරමු! ජේ. ආර් විසින් ඔහු අතගැසූ හැම දෙයකින්ම රට ජාතියට ගෙනාවේ විනාශයය. එහෙත් ඔහු විසින් කල එක ක්‍රියාවකින් රට දෙකඩවී යාම වැළකුණේය. එය නම් මහල්ලෙක්වූ ඔහු රජීව් ගාන්ධි නම් කොළුගැටයා ඉදිරියේ දණ ගැසීමය. එසේ නොකරන්නට රජිව් හා ඩික්ෂිට් උතුර හා නැඟෙනහිර අල්ලාගෙන එය ප්‍රභාකරන්ට පූජා කරන්නේය. ප්‍රේමදාස හා චන්ද්‍රිකාද ප්‍රභාකරන්ට උතුර බද්දට දීමට කල යෝජනාව රටේ වාසනාවට ප්‍රභාකරන් විසින් ප්‍රතික්ෂේප කලේය. 2002 CFA, P-tom, ISGA, 1995-2000 නීලන්-ජීඑල්-ජයම්පති රට කැබලි කිරීමේ ව්‍යවස්ථා පැකේජ් ඩීල් යනාදී රනිල්ගේ හා චන්ද්‍රිකාගේ පාවාදීමේ ව්‍යායාම දෙස බලනවිට රජිව්ව රැවටීමට ජේ. ආර් සමත්විය. මුස්ලිම් සම්භවයක් ඇති ජේ.ආර් ඔහු... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතාගේ නායකත්වයෙන් ආණ්ඩුව ශක්තිමත්ව පවත්වාගෙන යෑමේ යෝජනාව ඒකමතිකව සම්මතයි
අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතාගේ නායකත්වයෙන් යුතුව ආණ්ඩුව ශක්තිමත්ව පවත්වාගෙන යෑමේ යෝජනාව පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ කමිටු කාමර අංක එකේ අද (21) පස්වරුවේ රැස්වූ ආණ්ඩු පක්ෂ මන්ත්‍රී කණ්ඩායම් රැස්වීමේදී ඒකමතිකව සම්මත විය. රටේ උද්ගතව ඇති තත්ත්වය හමුවේ ආණ්ඩුව ඊට ශක්තිමත්ව මුහුණ දිය යුතු බවත් ඒ සඳහා අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතාගේ නායකත්වයෙන් යුතුව ආණ්ඩුව ඉදිරියටත් පවත්වාගෙන යායුතු බවත් පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී සහන් ප්‍රදීප් මහතා මෙම රැස්වීමේ දී යෝජනා කළේය. සියලුම මන්ත්‍රීවරුන් ඉහළට අත් ඔසවමින් එම යෝජනාවට ඒකමතිකව සහය පළ කළ අතර පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්‍රී යූ.කේ.සුමිත් මහතා එම යෝජනාව ස්ථිර කළේය. ඉදිරි සති කිහිපය තුළ ජනතාවට අවශ්ය කඩිනම්... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
ආර්ථික හා සමාජයීය ස්ථාවරත්වය සඳහා චීනයේ සහය ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ලබාදෙන බවට චීන අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයාගෙන් සහතිකයක්
ආර්ථික හා සමාජීය සංවර්ධනයේ ස්ථාවරත්වය සඳහා චීනයේ සහාය ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට ලබා දෙන බවට අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා සමඟ අද (22) පැවති දුරකථන සංවාදයකදී චීන අග්රාමාත්ය ලී කෙකියැන්ග් (Li Keqiang) මහතා සහතික විය. “ශ්‍රී ලංකාව දැනට මුහුණ දෙන දුෂ්කරතා සහ අභියෝග පිළිබඳව චීනයට අවබෝධයක් ඇති බවත් ශ්‍රී ලංකා ජනතාවගේ ජීවනෝපාය වැඩිදියුණු කිරීම සඳහා අප උපරිමයෙන් කටයුතු කරන බවත්” චීන අග්රාමාත්ය ලී කෙකියැන්ග් මහතා අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතාට පැවසීය. ශ්‍රී ලංකාව දැනට මුහුණ දී සිටින හදිසි මූල්‍ය ගැටලු කිහිපයක් විසඳීමට චීනය ශ්‍රී ලංකා රජය සමඟ එක්ව කටයුතු කරන බවට ද චීන අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා මෙහි දී... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
Limits of US Human Rights Report on Bangladesh
The United States recently released a report on the human rights situation on 198 countries in 2021. The country's state department made various allegations of human rights violations against Bangladesh. The US State Department's annual global report on human rights was launched on April 13, 2022, by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. In Bangladesh, there have been claims of widespread impunity for security force abuses and corruption, according to the report. According to the 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bangladesh report, "significant human rights issues included credible... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
Desperation of an Executive President
The government leaders have been chest-thumping over the dictatorial powers awarded to the President through the 20th Amendment to the Constitution adopted in October 2020 and its two-thirds majority in Parliament gained at the general election held in August 2020 The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) government is no longer a strong government, despite it commanding a simple majority in Parliament. One cannot give an assurance of even its simple majority which is 113 seats in the House being intact if a secret ballot was taken over any issue. Irrespective of its... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
Advisers seek role with creditors for $12 billion Sri Lanka debt revamp
Ayres Investment Management LLP, DecisionBoundaries LLC and Perella Weinberg LP are among firms seeking to provide financial advice to Sri Lanka's creditors, sources said, as the country heads towards a revamp of its $12 billion of external debt. Some bondholders are weighing their options after the South Asian island nation unilaterally suspended external debt payments ten days ago, four sources familiar with the situation said, asking not to be named because talks are private. The move comes as the government faces ongoing street protests over fuel, food and medicines shortage. With little foreign... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
India, World Bank considering $2-billion bridge finance: Sri Lanka
India has extended the duration of the $400-million currency swap facility which had been concluded with the island nation in January.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
Israeli film crew in SL to shoot ‘Arugam Bay’
Visiting Israeli film crew at Bandaranaike International Airport with Frames TV & Film Productions and Sri Lanka Tourism officials Feature film is expected to be screened in Israel and over 50 countries across Europe UCM, Sri Lanka Tourism and Frames TV & Film Productions to co-produce filmSLTPB says project is a great opportunity to promote destination SL and mitigate ‘current negative publicity’ towards country Israeli film production house United Channel Movies (UCM) is currently in Sri Lanka to shoot its latest feature film ‘Arugam Bay’ in the eastern... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
Sri Lanka's economic crisis dashes hopes for post COVID-19 tourism recovery.
GALLE, Sri Lanka, April 22 (Reuters) - With its ancient fort and sandy beaches, the city of Galle on Sri Lanka's southern coast should be awash with holidaymakers at this time of year. Instead, another power cut has plunged the city into darkness, and the historic quarter lies mostly deserted except for a lone tourist using a flashlight to find his way along the pitch black street. As Sri Lanka sinks deeper into its worst economic crisis since independence, hopes in Galle that it could once more become the booming tourist destination... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
Sri Lanka minister warns crisis will worsen as inflation hits record high
+1View gallery Sri Lanka's economic crisis has led to clashes at nationwide demonstrations calling on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down Sri Lanka's unprecedented shortages of food, fuel and vital medicines will worsen before an international bailout is negotiated, its finance minister warned Friday as inflation hit another record high. Ali Sabry, who is in Washington for talks with international lenders, said an IMF bailout may take months, but he was seeking about $2.5 billion in emergency assistance from others. "It is going to get worse before it... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
LP gas price increase by Litro reversed
The price hike announced by Litro Gas Lanka Limited has been rolled back after the government refused to give the go-ahead to the move. Earlier, Litro Gas, the primary liquefied petroleum gas supplier in the country, announced that the price of a 12.5kg LP gas cylinder would be increased to Rs. 5,175, with effect from midnight today. https://youtu.be/N4ShjnljwrM Accordingly, it is reported that the price revision announced by the company has not been given approval. Litro Gas said increases in LP gas prices will be made... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
Chinese Premier assures support to SL to address economic and social development
During a phone conversation with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, China’s Premier Li Keqiang assured China’s support to Sri Lanka to facilitate greater stability in economic and social development. “China feels for Sri Lanka for the difficulties and challenges you face, and we want to do our utmost to provide help to improve the peoples’ livelihoods in your country,” Premier Li said to Prime Minister Rajapaksa. The Chinese Premier also assured Prime Minister Rajapaksa that China will work with the Sri Lankan government to address some of the urgent financial issues... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
I delayed NCM against govt.: Ranil
Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said today the no-confidence motion against the government was delayed following a request made by him. He said this when Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena asked as to why the opposition didn't bring in the no-confidence motion against the government as planned earlier. "The opposition said that they would bring in the no-confidence motion against the government. It is Friday today. Why it is not presented as said?," he asked. Mr. Wickremesinghe said that it was absurd brining in the no-confidence motion... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
PM and Cabinet should resign and form an all party govt- Dullas writes to Prez
PM and Cabinet should resign and form an all party govt- Dullas writes to Prez Former Minister Dullas Alahapperuma in a letter to the President says the Prime Minister and cabinet should resign immediately and form a new All Party government soon. In his two-page letter, the former minister stated that a small cabinet representing all parties in parliament should be appointed for at least one year period in order to find the immediate solution to the current crisis situation. While praising the President for appointing a cabinet with a... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 22/04/22)
Ruling party MPs unanimously agree to continue with govt under PM
A unanimous decision has been taken at the parliamentary group meeting of the ruling party to strengthen and continue with the government under Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, the PM’s Office said. https://youtu.be/c8xJrb6Ch00 The parliamentary group of the ruling party had convened a meeting at the parliament complex today (21) and unanimously approved the proposal to strengthen and continue with the government under the leadership of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, the statement said. During the meeting, MP Sahan Pradeep had proposed that given the current state of affairs in the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
පාස්කු ප්‍රහාරයේ වින්දිතයින්ට සාධාරණය ඉටුකළ නොහැක්කේ මන්ද? .
උත්තරීතර ස්වභාව ධර්මය තුල සාධාරණය හා අසාධාරණය දෙකරුනම අඩංගුව පවතී. විටෙක සාධාරණය ඉස්මතුවෙන අතර තවත් විටෙක අසාධාරණය ඉස්මතුව දිදුලන බවක් අපි දකිමු. මේ ලොවෙයි අගනා දර්ශනයන් රාශියක් ග්‍රන්තාරුදව ඇති අතර, මේ ග්‍රන්ථ අතර ඇති තවත් වටිනා ග්‍රන්ථයක් වන්නේ බයිබලයයි. මේ වටිනා ග්‍රන්ථය පරිශීලනය කිරීම තුලින් උගත හැකි පාඩම් සංඛ්‍යාව මෙතෙකැයි කියා නිම කල නොහැක. බයිබලය කියන්නේද අනිකුත් දර්ශනයන් මෙන්ම වරක් කියවා ඉවත දැමිය හැකි කෘතියක් නොවේ. එය නැවත නැවත කියවීම තුලින්, මිනිස් මනස තුල සිදුවෙන චින්තන පරිවර්තනය අතිවිශාලය. එවැනි තත්වයකට පත්වූ මිනිසාට මෙරට මිට වසර තුනකට පෙර සිදුවූ පාස්කු ප්‍රහාරය සම්බන්ධව සාධාරණත්වය ඉටුකරන මෙන් ඉල්ලා... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
ජනතා ප්‍රශ්න විසඳීමට ලැබෙන වෘත්තිය සමිති සහයෝගය අගය කරනවා - අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා
ජනතාව මුහුණ දෙන ප්‍රශ්න කඩිනමින් විසඳීම සඳහා රජය ක්‍රියාත්මක කරන වැඩපිළිවෙළට වෘත්තීය සමිති තුළින් ලැබෙන සහයෝගය අගය කරන බව අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා පැවසීය. ප්‍රගතිශීලී වෘත්තීය සමිති ජාතික මධ්‍යස්ථානයේ වෘත්තීය සමිති නියෝජිතයන් සමඟ ඊයේ (20) පස්වරුවේ අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේදී පැවති සාකච්ඡාවකින් අනතුරුව අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා මේ බව සඳහන් කළේය. වර්තමානයේ පවතින අර්බුදය නිර්මාණය වුයේ සියලු දේශපාලන පක්ෂ අතීතයේ ගත් තීරණ නිසා බවත්, එමගින් නිර්මාණය වූ ආර්ථික අර්බුදය අද දේශපාලන අර්බුදයක් දක්වා පැමිණ ඇති බවත් වෘත්තීය සමිති නියෝජිතයෝ මෙහිදී පැවසූහ. අර්බුදය නිර්මාණය කිරීමට දායක වූ පිරිස නිර්දෝෂීන් ලෙස පෙනී සිටිමින් වර්තමාන රජය මත සියලු... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
Hela Voice Today
https://sites.google.com/view/heladiva-net/hela-voice-today... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
CIVIC EDUCATION
In the past we had Civics as an important subject in the school curriculum. Later this subject was hidden in a broad collection called social studies. When one observes the palpable ignorance of the general population and even many politicians, on the Constitution of the country it behooves that the subject of CIVICS be reintroduced as a compulsory subject for all students. It is ridiculous that a campaign with a battle cry of ‘Gotago’ is underway without knowing that a President is deprived of his post only with his resignation, his death, a vote of no... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
"Gotagogama" තරුණ පරපුර අසමත් නොවීමටනම් "ගෘන්නෝම"/ Grundnorm නීති මූලධර්මය ගැන දැනගත යුත්තේ ඇයි?
මහජන ජාතික ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම ව්‍යවස්ථාවක් (People's National Constitution) කෙටුම්පත් කිරීම මේ දක්වා "Gotagogama" තරුණ පරපුර ආරම්භ කර නොතිබීම නීතිය නොදැනීම පිළිබඳ ප්‍රශ්නයක් පමණක් නොවේ. එය රටේ ජනතාවගේ නෛතික නිදහස පිළිබඳ මූලික ප්‍රශ්නයකි. ගෘන්නෝම"/ Grundnorm නීති මූලධර්මය ගැන අවබෝධයක් නැතිකම පිළිබඳ ප්‍රශ්නයකි. "The People's Constitution should be drafted and presented to the people according to the Grundnorm principle before or after the president Gotabhaya is sent home.If not a dictatorship may arise." "ගෝඨාභය ජනාධිපතිවරයා ගෙදර යැවීමට පෙර හෝ පසූව මහජන ආණ්ඩුක්‍රම... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
Sri Lanka’s Economic Recovery Efforts to Continue Despite Social Media Brickbats
The Embassy of Sri Lanka to the United States has noted with disappointment the unjustified and undue criticism leveled against the eight member delegation led by the Minister of Finance who are currently attending the Springmeetings of the Bretton Woods Institutions in Washington DC. It must be emphasized that these meetings and the various bilateral engagements undertaken by the Sri Lankan delegation are aimed at garnering international support in aid of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery pursuant to the several challenges being faced by the country. Among the meetings in the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
Tug of war breaks out between GR and MR
*PM is now to table the 19th amendment in Parliament soon with some amendments to the clauses * One of the proposals to which consensus will be sought from all party leaders is for Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down as President A tug of war seems to have broken out between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa with the latter now preparing to push for the 19th amendment which will take away the powers of the executive and empower more powers back to the Parliament. The... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
IMF says any loan to Sri Lanka requires debt sustainability
The International Monetary Fund said discussions with Sri Lanka on a potential IMF loan program are at an early stage and any deal would require "adequate assurances" that the island country's debts can be put on a sustainable path. In a statement emailed to Reuters, IMF Sri Lanka Mission Chief Masahiro Nozaki said that IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva discussed lending options and policy plans with a Sri Lankan delegation on Tuesday. "An IMF-supported program should be designed to resolve Sri Lanka's acute balance of payments problems and put the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
Army Chief urges public to assist unhindered passage of road transport
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) today appealed to the general public engaged in protests to assist unhindered passage of transport movements without blocking roads and causing inconvenience to the public. In a special message issued today (21), the Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, General Shavendra Silva stated that in the face of present economic constraints, people of Sri Lanka in various areas are holding protests and agitations in a peaceful manner. https://youtu.be/uZqcF7mgp68 “We have not to-date caused any hindrance to such peaceful protests.” ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
Chinese Ambassador pledges continued support to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor G.L. Peiris met with the Ambassador of China to Colombo, Qi Zhenhong, at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday (21). https://youtu.be/kQXHfZLzaXY While welcoming the Ambassador, Minister Peiris appreciated China’s continued assistance to Sri Lanka which had begun even before establishing formal diplomatic relations between the two countries. He also recalled the Chinese monuments erected in Sri Lanka with the funding of the Chinese Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The Foreign Minister also apprised the Ambassador... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
Sri Lanka may take weeks to hire debt advisers, Sabry says
https://youtu.be/GKi6U-sai9I Sri Lanka may take nearly three weeks to appoint advisers to guide an overhaul of its debt, according to the country’s finance chief, a move seen as key to unlock emergency funds needed to ease its worsening economic crisis. The country is aiming to choose financial and legal advisers in 15 to 20 days, Finance Minister Ali Sabry said in a Bloomberg Television interview with Kathleen Hays and Haidi Stroud-Watts late Wednesday in Washington. Sri Lanka is seeking as much as $4 billion this year to help... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
Sri Lanka makes face masks mandatory again
The Director General of Health Services today said the lifting of mandatory requirement to wear face masks outdoors is temporarily suspended, considering the large public gatherings currently taking place in the country. DGHS Dr. Asela Gunawardena therefore stated that face masks should be worn outdoors as done before. Issuing a press release, he said that this directive will be effective from today (April 21). Other measures stipulated in the press release issued by the Director General of Health Services dated 18.04.2022 shall remain in force, it further said. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
SJB hands over proposals for constitutional amendments
The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has put forward a set of proposals for the new amendment to the Constitution including the abolishment of the executive presidency and the repealing of the 20th Amendment. The draft resolution has been handed over to the Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa told the House today. In its proposals, the SJB also seeks a tripartite system of checks and balances and the establishment of independent commissions and a National Security Council. The general secretary of SJB, MP Ranjith... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
ශ්‍රී ලංකාව ඉන්දියාවේ ප්‍රාන්තයක් කර ගැනීමට යන කතාවේ ඇත්ත නැත්ත මෙන්න
ඉන්දීය විදේශ කටයුතු අමාත්ය ආචාර්ය එස්. ජෙයිශංකර් විසින් නිකුත් කළ ට්විටර් සටහනක් බවට හුවා දැක්වෙන අසත්‍ය ට්විටර් සටහනක් මේ වන විට සමාජ මාධ්‍ය තුල හුවමාරු වෙමින් පවතිනවා. " ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ජනතාව කැමැති නම් ලංකාව ඉන්දියාවේ ප්‍රාන්තයක් ලෙස පිළිගැනීමට සුදානම්. ශ්‍රී ලංකාව මුහුණ දී සිටින ගෑස්, ඉන්ධන, කිරිපිටි, පොහොර ඇතුළු අත්‍යවශ්‍ය භාණ්ඩ ගැටලු සඳහා විසඳුම් ලබා දීමට මෙන්ම ඉදිරියේදී ඇතිවෙන ගැටලු සඳහා උපකාර කිරිමට ඉන්දියාව පියවර ගන්නවා". යැයි එම අසත්‍ය ට්විටර් සටහනේ සඳහන් කර තිබෙනවා. මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පිහිටි ඉන්දීය මහා කොමසාරිස් කාර්යාලය ට්විටර් සටහනක් තබමින් සඳහන් කර සිටින්නේ දෙරට අතර... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 21/04/22)
POLITICS IN SRI LANKA Part 3 L
UNP loyalists were overjoyed when the UNP won a landslide election in 1977. They felt a sense of power, they thought they were going to be there forever and started to intimidate those opposed to the UNP. Wiswa Warnapala saw this in action in University of Peradeniya and wrote about it in his autobiography. After 1977, the academic community within Peradeniya divided into two camps, one in total support of the UNP government and the other against, said Wiswa. The Department of History was for 1978 constitution and Department of Political Science against it.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
ගෝට ගේ ගම
අප බොහෝ දෙනාගේ ගම් වෙනස් වෙනව වගේ, ගෝටගේ ගමත් වෙනස්වන සුලුය. ඒවා මානව අයිතින්ය. ඉස්සරහට එංග ලන්තේ වෙන්නත් බැරි නැත. නියතය වෙනස් වීමය. ගම කොහේ වුනත් වැඩ්ඩ වැඩ්ඩමය. මැදවච්චි යනවා කියා ගියේ කිලිනොච්චිය. ඇමරිකාව සෑදී ඇත්තේ රතු ඉන්දියානුවන්ගේ ඉඩම් මං කොල්ල කාලාය, කෑ ලි කෑ ලි එකතු කරලා ය. මුළු ඇලස්කාවම ගත්තේ සෝවියට් රුසියාවෙන්ය... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
The Vatican must apologize to Sri Lanka
The Portuguese landed in Sri Lanka in 1505 and after a couple of decades in occupation started the inhumane Portuguese Inquisition intending to destroy Buddhism Temples and the Buddhist Civilization, and convert Buddhists to Christianity. Its inspiration was the Goa Inquisition which led to the Inquisition being conducted in almost all territories of the Portuguese Asian Empire. It is the Portuguese that started Hate institutions i.e., Catholic Church and Missionary Schools. From day one in pre - school the innocent child is brainwashed in self - hate. To transfer his loyalty from the local... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
ජාතික හෙද විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය ආරම්භ කිරීම පිළිබඳව ඒකාබද්ධ කැබිනට් පත්‍රිකාවක් යොමු කරන්නැයි අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාගෙන් උපදෙස්
ජාතික හෙද විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය ආරම්භ කිරීමට අදාළව අධ්‍යාපන හා සෞඛ්‍ය අමාත්‍යාංශය ඒකාබද්ධව කැබිනට් පත්‍රිකාවක් යොමු කරන්නැයි අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා අද (20) දින පෙරවරුවේ විෂය භාර අමාත්‍යවරුන්ට උපදෙස් දුන්නේය. ජාතික හෙද විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය ආරම්භ කිරීමට අදාළව පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ පිහිටි අග්රාමාත්ය කාර්යාලයේ පැවති සාකච්ඡාවට එක්වෙමින් අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා මෙම උපදෙස් දුන්නේය. තමන් විසින් මෙයට පෙර යෝජනා කළ පරිදි හෙද අධ්‍යාපනය සඳහා ජාත්‍යන්තර මට්ටමේ පිළිගත් උපාධියක් ලබාදීම කාලෝචිත ක්‍රියාවක් බව ද අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමා මෙහි දී පෙන්වා දුන්නේය. දැනට දිවයින පුරා හෙද විද්‍යාල 17ක් තුළින් හෙද හෙදියන් සෞඛ්‍ය සේවාවට එක්වන අතර සේවා අවශ්‍යතාව සහ දැනට... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
Lankan regime’s intention to bring about constitutional changes is suspect
Colombo, April 19: With pressure mounting on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to quit, both in parliament and on the streets of Sri Lanka, the President and his Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, are proposing constitutional changes in the hope that these will satisfy the people, yearning for democracy. While constitutional changes to restore democracy are a crying need, political observers see hidden agendas in the offers the Rajapaksas are making in terms of constitutional changes.ADVERTISEMENT Observers dismiss the suggestion that the Rajapaksas are genuinely interested in reducing the gargantuan powers vested... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
Top Sri Lankan Buddhist clergy call upon government and opposition to resolve crisis
Colombo, April 20: Sri Lanka’s top Buddhist clergy called Mahanayakes on Wednesday called upon the President, Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader and all Members of Parliament to implement the proposals put forward by them on April 4, to resolve the present crisis in the country. Issuing a joint statement, the Chief Prelates also warned that a “Sangha Convention” would be convened if the political leadership fails to act on the proposals. The statement contains four key proposals that should be implemented by the entire political mechanism. The statement expressed... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
India to provide additional $500-mn assistance to Sri Lanka for fuel
Meanwhile China, whose large loans and investments to the island nation led to allegations of debt diplomacy, has said it will provide "emergency humanitarian assistance" to Colombo... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
Ambassador Kananathan sends letter of demand to Hirunika
Sri Lankan Ambassador in Kenya Veluppillai Kananathan sent a letter of demand to Hirunika Premachandra contesting her recent slanderous and baseless statement against him in a press conference on April 15, 2022. Hirunika Premachandra said that Kananathan was the owner of the jet bearing number T7JSH on which Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa visited Tirupathy last year. Further she said that Kananthan was a member of the LTTE and he was the owner of ‘Ceylon Cafe’ in Uganda, Hirunika also said that the gold confiscated from the LTTE was in Kananathan’s possession. Kananathan... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
Police had to use minimum force against Rambukkana protesters: IGP
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) C.D Wickramaratne said that the Police had to use minimum force against the protesters in Rambukkana today. https://youtu.be/dPimCvcHEFQ Following the Rambukkana incident, the IGP said in a statement that the Police resorted to minimum force to prevent a group from setting fire to a Bowser with 30,000 litres of fuel. He said the measures were taken to prevent huge damages that may have been caused. The IGP also said that steps are being taken for a Police Headquarters... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
IMF says any loan to Sri Lanka requires debt sustainability
Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said discussions with Sri Lanka on a potential IMF loan program are at an early stage and any deal would require “adequate assurances” that the island country’s debts can be put on a sustainable path. In a statement emailed to Reuters, IMF Sri Lanka Mission Chief Masahiro Nozaki said that IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva discussed lending options and policy plans with a Sri Lankan delegation on Tuesday. “An IMF-supported program should be designed to resolve Sri Lanka’s acute balance of payments problems and put the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
Army, Air Force to provide security for fuel bowsers and trains
https://youtu.be/s3Wm5IZjM_M Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekara says that the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) will provide security to trains transporting fuel and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) will provide security to fuel bowsers, if and when necessary. The minister had earlier assured safety for fuel bowsers and fuel trains while also requesting the public to cooperate in the island-wide supply of fuel.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
World Bank stands ready to provide emergency support to Sri Lanka
The World Bank says it is ready to provide emergency support to Sri Lanka and protect the vulnerable people amidst the unprecedented economic crisis in the country. World Bank Vice President for South Asia Hartwig Schafer said he held talks with Sri Lankan Finance Minister Ali Sabry and Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe in Washington on Tuesday (19). https://youtu.be/Hqoz95NH7N8 He said they discussed actions to address the economic crisis, support stabilization and recovery, and protect the vulnerable people in Sri Lanka. He also... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
Special police team appointed to probe Rambukkana incident
Sri Lanka Police says that a special team of 20 police officers has been appointed under the IGP’s instructions to investigate yesterday’s incident at Rambukkana, which resulted in the death of a protester and left several others injured. Senior Police Spokesman SDIG Ajith Rohana stated this during a press briefing held today (20) to brief on the progress of the investigation regarding the incident. He said that a special police team has been appointed by the Senior DIG in charge of Sabaragamuwa Province, on the instruction of the IGP, in order to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
World Bank's Vice President meet SL delegation and assures support
World Bank's Vice President for the South Asia Region Hartwig Schafer states that he met Finance Minister Ali Sabry and CBSL Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe and discussed actions to address the economic crisis, support stabilization and recovery, and protect the vulnerable people in Sri Lanka... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
Treasury bill annual rates increase to 24.36%
Sri Lanka's government Treasury Bill yields increased to 24.36% at the auction today (20). Rs 97.5 billion was offered by CBSL and Rs 48 billion was accepted. The weighted average yield Rate was 23.21 % for 91 days 24.77% for 182 days and & 24.36% for 364 day Treasury bills.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 20/04/22)
How can a government that cannot name a proper list of Cabinet Ministries govern a country?
This puzzle came to my mind as I was going through the list of Cabinet and State Ministries published yesterday. Having seen the overlapping and confusion found in the previous lists of Ministries, I was expecting some improvement at least this time. But it was even more disgusting and appalling to see they have repeated the same blunders they did in the past, in naming the new Ministries. I can understand the President making those mistakes as he had no experience or the knowhow in making such lists in the past. He can... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
ගෝල්පේස් වනාන්තරය, ගෝඨාභයගේ දෙවන යුද්ධය හා බෞද්ධ මධ්‍යම ප්‍රතිපදා විසඳුම - (1 කොටස)
අප්‍රේල් 9 දා සිට ගතවන දිනයක් පාසා ගෝල්පේස් වනාන්තරයෙන් එලියට පනිණ කරුණක් නම්, එය රටේ <රීසනබල්> මිනිසුන් හැම දෙනාම විසින් අවිවාදයෙන් පිළිගන්නා රට තුල <සිස්ටම් චේන්ජ්> උදෙසා කරණ අරගලයක් නොව, 2005 ජනාධිපති මැතිවරණයේ සිටම usa, uk, eu, india, canada, australia, unhrc බටහිර ඒජන්සිය යන ආයතන (පාලන තන්ත්‍ර, ආණ්ඩූ) විසින් ලෝකල් කළුසුද්දන් හරහා මෙහෙයවන <රෙජීම් චේන්ජ්> ඩොලර් ව්‍යාපාරයේම දිගුවක් බවය. 2010 දී සරත් ෆොන්සේකාගේ චන්දයටද ඇමෙරිකන් ඩොලර් පොම්ප කල බව එලිවිය. 2015 දී යහපාලන මෛත්‍රී සිරිසේන බලයට ගෙන ඒමට මිසිස් චන්ද්‍රිකා, මංගල සමරවීරලාට ඩොලර් දුන් ආකාරය ඇමෙරිකාවේ රාජ්ය ලේකම් විසින්ම පසුව අනාවරණය කරණ ලදී. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා අද (19) දින පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේදී කළ ප්‍රකාශය
ගරු කථානායකතුමනි, මේ වනවිට රට මුහුණ පා ඇති අභියෝගයන් පිළිබඳව මේ ගරු සභාවේ සිටින මන්ත්‍රීවරුන්ට හොඳ අවබෝධයක් තියෙනවා. අපේ රට ඉතිහාසය පුරා දිගු කාලීනව මුහුණ දුන් ආර්ථික අභියෝගය අද වනවිට ඉතා දුෂ්කර තැනකට පත්ව තිබෙනවා. ගරු කථානායකතුමනි, ආණ්ඩුවක් කවදාවත් කැමැත්තෙන් තමන්ගෙ ජනතාව දුෂ්කරතාවයට පත්කරන්නෙ නැහැ. එහෙත් අද රටේ ජනතාව දුෂ්කරතා රැසකට මුහුණ දෙමින් සිටින බව අප පිළිගත යුතුයි. විදුලි කප්පාදුව, ඉන්ධන හිඟය, ගෑස් අර්බුදය අපට පෙනෙන දුෂ්කරතා පමණයි. මේ නිසා ඇතිවුණ තවත් නොයෙක් දුෂ්කරතාවයන්ටත් ජනතාව අද මුහුණ දෙන බව මා දන්නවා. ගරු කථානායකතුමනි, ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
වර්තමාන අර්බුධයෙන් රට ගොඩ ගැනීමේ ඒකායන ක්‍රමය
අග්රාමාත්ය සිරිමාවෝ බන්ඩාරනායක මැතිනියගේ හිටපු ස්ථිර ලේකම්, ශ්‍රී ලන්කා පරිපාලන සේවා සන්ගමයේ සභාපති (1991-1994) සහ මහනුවර සින්හල බෞද්ධ ජෙස්ඨ පුරවැසියන්ගේ සන්විධානයේ සභාපතී (මව් බිමට ආදරය කරණ පුරවැසියෙකුගෙන් මුලු රටටම අලුත් අවුරුදු තෑග්ගක්!) වර්තමාන අර්බුධයෙන් රට ගොඩ ගැනීමේ ඒකායන නොවුනත් හොඳම ක්‍රමය පුලුල් ජාතික වැඩපිලිවෙලක් ක්‍රියාත්මක කිරීමට එකඟවන නව ජනාධිපතිවරකු යටතේ පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ සිටින සියළුම පක්ශ නායක්යින් සහ අමාත්ය තනතුරුවලට අදාල විශයන් පිළිබන්ද විසේසඥ සහ ප්‍රායෝගික දැනුමක් ඇති පිටතින් ගන්නා විශිස්ඨ පුද්ගලයින් කීපදෙනකුගෙන් සමන්විත සර්ව පාක්ශික අන්තර්කාලින ඇමති මන්ඩලයක් යටතේ තුන් (3)අවුරුදු කාලසීමාවකට, 2025 වනතුරු රට පාලනය කිරීමයි. එසේ කිරීමෙන්... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
Tourist arrival rate dips in April as economic crisis worsens
Down to 1, 000-2, 000 a day from 4, 000-5, 000SL welcomed 43, 761 tourists from April 1 to 18Cumulative tourist arrivals up to April 18 at 329,095 Sri Lanka’s tourist arrival rate has started to witness a dip in the month of April due to the ongoing economic crisis.The Tourism Ministry yesterday said that the daily tourist arrivals that were in the range of 4,000 to 5,000 in the recent months have now contracted to the levels of 1,000 to 2,000. Reappointed Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga yesterday said steps... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
Sri Lanka crisis: China to provide emergency assistance
The Chinese government has decided to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka to help the country cope with the current difficulties. The spokesperson for China International Development Cooperation Agency, Xu Wei, on Tuesday, said China had noticed Sri Lanka’s economic difficulties and was ready to help. Wei said, “We believe that the Sri Lankan government and people will overcome the temporary difficulties and maintain economic and social stability and development.” Sri Lanka had been in the midst of a severe economic crisis featuring shortages of foreign exchange, fuel, and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka, India revive talks to link electric grids
COLOMBO (Reuters) – India and Sri Lanka have resumed talks on linking their electricity grids, officials told Reuters on Tuesday, a step that could aid New Delhi’s goal of reducing China’s influence on the island nation, now grappling with a severe economic crisis.Advertisement 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider There was no immediate prospect that power cuts brought by the crisis could be eased by the talks, which are a preliminary effort on a multi-year project both sides have... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
Muslims are at forefront of unprecedented protests in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Muslim Mohamed Nafas says that Muslims are at the forefront of unprecedented public protests against the Rajapaksa government and are rebuilding their strained relationship with the majority Sinhalese community in the process. Sri Lankans – regardless of race, religion, ethnicity and political affiliation – have taken to the streets demanding the immediate resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Public protests have taken place across the country with the slogan “GO home Gota”. The most notable protest is underway in Galle Face, Colombo, for the 10th consecutive day with thousands... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
Sri Lankan PM: President's powers to be trimmed
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Tuesday the constitution would be changed to clip presidential powers and empower parliament as protesters continued to call on his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and their powerful family to quit over the country's economic crisis. The premier told the legislature that the power transfer would be one of the quick steps that could be taken to politically stabilize the South Asian country and help talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for an economic recovery plan. "While looking for solutions to the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
‘India could meet Sri Lanka fate if freebie culture persists’
NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand says ‘mind–boggling’ farm subsidies make sector dependent on State ‘crutches’ India could end up facing a Sri Lanka–type economic crisis if it doesn’t shun the “culture of freebies” and subsidies in sectors like agriculture, NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand warned, stressing that the “mind–boggling” support measures for farmers has made agriculture extremely dependent on such crutches. “Our policies and support to agriculture and many other sectors are going in a direction that if we do not put a check on it, I think a day is not far when... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
IMF agrees to consider SL’s request for rapid aid
Finance Minister Ali Sabry and Sri Lankan delegation meeting Indian Finance Minister N. Sitharaman and a top level Indian economic delegation at IMF Headquarters in Washington IMF says will consider request for RFI even though outside the standard of circumstancesCommends SL for the steps already taken in the direction of resolving economic crisisIndia makes representations on behalf of SL for RFIIndian Finance Minister and top level economic delegation meets with Sabry and Lankan delegationIndia assures fullest support to SL in deliberations with IMF, especially for Extended Fund Facility ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
Crisis in Lanka benefits Indian textiles
NEW DELHI : With Sri Lanka buffeted by economic headwinds, Indian apparel exporters are beginning to receive orders from the UK, EU, and even Latin American countries where Indian textiles had little or no presence. Textiles and garments contributed nearly half of Sri Lanka’s exports but fuel shortages amid its worst financial crisis and ensuing power cuts are disrupting the production of key exports such as apparel and tea. Much of the tea orders have already started moving to India and now a similar trend is being witnessed in the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
IMF commends steps taken by Sri Lanka to stabilise economy
COLOMBO (XINHUA) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) commended the steps already taken by Sri Lanka to stabilise its economy, the Sri Lankan Finance Ministry said in a press release yesterday. The ministry said Finance Minister Ali Sabry met with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Monday at the IMF headquarters. The IMF assured their fullest support, and a positive response has also been received to expedite the process to strengthen the support extended towards Sri Lanka, according to the press release. Sabry also requested a Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) and the IMF... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
STF deployed in Rambukkana, situation tense
The STF has been deployed in Rambukkana as protestors continue to protest in the area. Eye witnesses on ground said the situation in the area remains tense and angry protestors are demanding justice for the protestors who were injured and killed as police opened fire earlier this evening. Eight policemen have been injured in the clash, one protestor killed and 24 people injured. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
19A with necessary changes has to be implemented: Prime Minister
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution with necessary changes has to be implemented as an initial step to resolve the present political and economic crisis, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa told Parliament today. The Prime Minister also called for the support of all political parties representing Parliament to make this exercise a success. "We accept that people in this country are facing many difficulties. The fuel and electricity crisis are only the visible issues and there are many untold issues arising from those issues. The country is facing a crisis where... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
Police curfew declared in Rambukkana
Police curfew has been declared within the limits of Rambukkana police area with immediate effect. The curfew order will be effective until further notice, the Police Spokesman said. The move came after one person died this evening (April 19) following a clash between the protesters and the police during a demonstration staged in Rambukkana against the recent fuel price hike. https://youtu.be/MEXQ9fy8oeE The victim, who was rushed to the Kegalle Teaching Hospital, was pronounced dead due to gunshot wounds, the director of the hospital Dr. Mihiri Priyangani... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
IGP issues statement on police shooting during Rambukkana protest
The Inspector-General of Police says the law enforcement officers had to resort to minimum force to prevent a group of individuals from attempting to set fire to a bowser containing nearly 33,000 litres of fuel during the protest staged in Rambukkana. In a statement issued on the casualties reported in police shooting during Rambukkana protest, IGP C.D. Wickramaratne, also stated that the measure was taken to prevent massive damages that may have been caused. Meanwhile, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, Jagath de Alwis said steps are being taken to conduct... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
Rambukkana protest: One dead in police shooting, at least 24 injured
UPDATE: The number of people injured during the Rambukkana protest has risen to 24, including eight policemen, the police media spokesperson says. One person died this evening (April 19) following a clash between the protesters and the police during a demonstration staged in Rambukkana against the recent fuel price hike. The injured individual, who was rushed to the Kegalle Teaching Hospital, was pronounced dead due to gunshot wounds, the director of the hospital Dr. Mihiri Priyangani confirmed. In the meantime, 11 other injured protesters who were at... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
Making sense of Sri Lanka’s crisis & predicting the outcome
Where do we start? How about the US-engineered regime change in 2015. It remains a puzzle why the engineers of the regime change decided to end yahapalana shelf-life, just as it is a puzzle why the present US-linked leaders together with a coterie of pro-US advisors, US-inclined Secretaries & Public Officials should suddenly fall out of favor, even after signing deals favorable to them at 12midnight. It is time we started to make some sense as many of us are baffled how a nationalist government ended up hated by the People &... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
Hark to past Successes in Development to solve the anarchy in development today
The experience of the Divisional Development Councils Programme(DDCP) of Sri Lanka(1970-1977) is currently of great importance in today’s situation of unemployment and also the inability to import goods due to the lack of foreign exchange. This is because the DDCP is a programme that really creates employment. Further it is important to note that the DDCP was entirely implemented with local Rupees. Foreign funds were only required to import dyes for the Crayon Project and the amount of dollars spent to import dyes saved a vast amount of dollars... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
‘PEACE AND RECONCILATION - DEVELOPMENT AS A VEHICLE’
Peace is valuable and rare but easy to achieve in realization Peace is valuable pleasant and rare. Freedom from war and disturbances bring peace, calmness, and Loving kindness, in a non – violent situation as a by - product of peace. Sri Lanka is bestowed with rare natural beauty and pleasant nature of the people with a smile willing to help needy - especially when you are... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
Ron Nixon on US nurturing Arab Uprisings
Ron Nixon writing to the New York Times in April 2011 says that the US “democracy-building campaigns played a bigger role in fomenting protests” than was previously known. They key words here is than previously known. Which means we only come to learn of the involvement much later. By that time the expected damage is done. Ron Nixon says that ‘key leaders of the movements’ were ‘trained by the Americans in campaigning, organizing through new media tools & monitoring elections”. Note what he says next “a number of the groups & individuals directly... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
POLITICS IN SRI LANKA Part 3 K
JR’s rule was a period of lawlessness and corruption. Elections commissioner Punchihewa listed 3 elections as having the worst abuses in Sri Lanka’s electoral history. Two of these were held during the time of JR, the 1981 Jaffna District Development Council polls and the 1982 referendum. His ministers were corrupt. Critics were beaten up, said critics. It was when JR Jayewardene was head of state that thuggery and corruption in politics became entrenched in the central government for the first time in Sri Lanka’s political history. JR’s successors welcomed this and continued the good... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 19/04/22)
අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාගෙන් ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන යෝජනාවක්
ජනතාවට වග කියන රජයක් බිහි කිරීම සඳහා විවිධ පාර්ශවයන්ගෙන් ලැබෙන ඉල්ලීම් ගරු අග්‍රමාත්‍යතුමාගේ අවධානයට යොමු වී ඇත. විධායකය, ව්‍යවස්ථාදායකය සහ අධිකරණයට අදාළව, සාධනීය කරුණු ඇතුළත් ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධනයක් කිරීමේ යෝජනාවක් කැබිනට් මණ්ඩලයට ඉදිරිපත් කිරීම සඳහා අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා බලාපොරොත්තු වේ. එම සංශෝධිත ව්‍යවස්ථාව මඟින් ජනතාවගේ අපේක්ෂාවන් සාක්ෂාත් කර ගැනීමට හැකි වනු ඇති බව අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාගේ බලාපොරොත්තුවයි.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/04/22)
ව්‍යවස්ථාව පිළිබඳ අවබෝධයකින් තොර විරෝධතා හේතුවෙන් රටට සිදුවන අගතිය පිළිබඳ නීතීඥවරු අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාට පැහැදිලි කරති
රජයට සහය පළ කරන නීතීඥවරුන් සහ ගරු අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා අතර හමුවක් අද (18) දින පෙරවරුවේ අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේදී පැවැත්විණි. මේ වන විට රටේ උද්ගතව ඇති ගැටලු නිරාකරණය කිරීම සහ රජයට විරුද්ධව පවත්වන අරගල හේතුවෙන් රටට සිදුවන අගතිය පිළිබඳව මෙහිදී සාකච්ඡා විය. ව්‍යවස්ථානුකූලව ජනාධිපතිවරයා ඉවත් කිරීම ඔවුන් පවසන පරිදි සිදු කළ නොහැකි බවත්, ව්‍යවස්ථාව පිළිබඳ පැහැදිලි අවබෝධයකින් තොරව, වර්තමානයේ ජනතාව මුහුණ දෙන ගැටලු මුල් කර ගනිමින් කිසියම් සංවිධානාත්මක පිරිසක් විසින් මෙම අරගල මෙහෙයවමින් තිබෙන බව පෙනෙනන්ට ඇති බවත්, මෙහිදී නීතීඥවරු පෙන්වා දුන්හ. 88-89 කාල වලදී පැවති අරගලවලදී ද එවකට... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/04/22)
WHY SHOULD HEALTH AUTHORITIES INCLUDING DR. HEMANTHA HERATH EXPLAIN TO THE GOVERNMENT THAT IT IS NOT ADVISABLE TO GO AHEAD WITH VACCINATION CARD RESTRICTIONS?
1) SRI LANKANS HAVE BEING EXPERIENCING TOO MUCH RESTRICTIONS AND TOO MUCH DEFICIENCIES FOR SOME TIME NOW. 2) WILL THEY ACCEPT NEW RESTRICTIONS NORMALLY? WILL THERE BE ANY CLASHES FOR NOT ADHERING TO THESE RESTRICTIONS ? VERY LIKELY. IF THE AVAILABLE STATISTICS ARE CORRECT, MORE THAN HALF OF THE POPULATIONS MAY BE INVOLVED IN SUCH CLASHES. WHICH MEANS EVEN THOSE WHO ARE NORMALLY LAW ABIDING, ARE LIKELY TO HAVE CLASHES WITH AUTHORITIES. 3) THE INTENTIONS OF SUCH RESTRICTIONS SEEM TO BE GOOD. IF THE COUNTRIES SITUATION WAS NORMAL THE IMPLEMENTATIONS OF SUCH RESTRICTIONS... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/04/22)
Creating Employment and Incomes- the need of the hour
I enclose a write up of my Youth Self Employment Programme in Bangladesh, written by me in 2016, which details how the Programme came into being. It is hoped that this writing detailing how Bangladesh succeeded in employment creation may offer ideas to our leaders to get out of the problems that beset our economy today. Starting from scratch, without any subsidies or grants whatsoever, we had only our voices to convince the 40,000 youths who were being trained to commence some activity to get into production. I trained the youth officers that... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/04/22)
Lankan President holds out an olive branch to the opposition
Colombo, April 18: The beleaguered Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on Monday held out an olive branch to the opposition parties and people wanting him to quit for the economic mess he has allegedly created. But he firmly stated that he will not quit yielding to extra-constitutional methods of removal, including the continuous demonstrations in front of his office in Colombo for the last ten days calling for his resignation. In a statement, the President reiterated his call to the opposition to join him in solving the grave problems the country is... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/04/22)
Sri Lanka’s President Says Ready to Review Executive Powers
(Bloomberg) -- After weeks of defiance Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he’s open to changes in the nation’s constitution to appease protesters calling for his ouster, likely setting the stage for curbing the executive’s sweeping powers as the nation’s deepening economic crisis has boiled over into political turmoil. “To take the economy on a right direction, to meet the expectations of the younger generation is the duty of the government,” the president said at a ceremony swearing in new cabinet members Monday, adding that while “respecting the supreme constitution” he... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/04/22)
President accepts not providing chemical fertilizer was a mistake
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa admitted today that he made a mistake by banning chemical farming, and therefore he decided to re-introduce it. He also said the government should have reached out to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a programme much earlier. Making his remarks to the newly appointed Cabinet ministers, the president said the public wrath over long queues for purchasing essentials is well understandable to him. He said the government made mistakes, and they should be corrected to press ahead for the greater good of the country.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/04/22)
Ceypetco increases fuel prices
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has announced an increase in its fuel prices with effect from midnight today (18). Accordingly, the new CPC fuel prices are as follows: Petrol Octane 92 - Rs. 338 per litrePetrol Octane 95 - Rs. 373 per litreAuto Diesel - Rs. 289 per litreSuper Diesel - Rs. 329 per litre Meanwhile Lanka IOC had also hiked fuel prices from midnight yesterday (17). LIOC had increased the price of all types of petrol by Rs. 35 per... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/04/22)
Six sentenced to death in Priyantha Kumara lynching case
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan awarded death sentences to six accused over their role in the lynching of Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara at a Sialkot factory, Pakistani reported on Monday. As per details, the verdict was announced after hearing of the high-profile lynching case concluded at the Kot Lakhpat prison. Statements of more than 60 suspects were recorded in the lynching case. ATC in its verdict in the Priyantha Kumara case awarded death sentences to six, 14-year-jail to seven others and two years of punishment to the other 76 accused of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/04/22)
Sri Lanka should have gone to IMF much earlier – President
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says he believes that Sri Lanka should have gone for an IMF programme much earlier and that not providing chemical fertilizer to farmers was a mistake which is being rectified. The President made these remarks today (18) addressing the newly appointed Cabinet Ministers. He stated that during the last two and a half years the country has had to face vast challenges. “The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the debt burden, and some mistakes on our part. They need to be rectified.” “We have to correct them... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/04/22)
President appoints 17 new Cabinet ministers
The new Cabinet Ministers have sworn in before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the President’s House in Colombo this morning (18). Accordingly, the President has appointed 17 new cabinet ministers. However, the President’s Media Division stated there were no changes in the portfolios held by the President, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris and Finance Minister Ali Sabry. Meanwhile the PMD said that the President’s address to the new Cabinet will be telecast at 7.30 pm today (18) on all television and radio channels. See the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 18/04/22)
Sri Lanka – People’s Protest – the planners behind the protests
In Sri Lanka a series of protests are taking place with central location set up in Galle Fact Green. The original grievances have got diluted in a plethora of other slogans automatically questioning a possible covert game plan in operation. Having taken out the textbooks and gone through similar protests choreographed by US in strategically important countries, it is quite clear that there is some mischief at play. While the protestors may not like or may not know these hidden hands & the funding that goes into protests & given that they... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
POLITICS IN SRI LANKA Part 3 J
JR meddled in appointments. He engaged in nepotism. Brother HW was sent to the UN where he did excellent work for Sri Lanka on the UN Convection on the Law of the sea. Brother RP was appointed as Chairman Nation Science Council. JR’s sister in law, Dr. Gladys Jayewardene was appointed Chairman, State Pharmaceutical Corporation, replacing Senaka Bibile who had done valuable pioneering work there on the rationalization of drugs. JR interfered with the judges of the Supreme Court, their powers and their judgments. Judges were appointed afresh when the1978 Constitution came into force.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
The Partition of India - A Betrayal of Hinduism
Both Gandhi and Nehru betrayed the Hindus at the time of partition of India. When Mohammed Ali Jinnah sought a separate nation for Muslims by partitioning India, the leaders of the Hindu community should have demanded likewise for the Hindus. All Muslims in one part and the Hindus in the other part, would have ensured an India free of religion related conflict, which has now become a plague in India. Islam and Hinduism are like chalk and cheese. Two irreconcilable thought processes. Muslims are entitled to have their Sharia law... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
POLITICS IN SRI LANKA Part 3 H
JR tried to appear interested in agriculture. I recall a photo in the Daily News at the time, of JR bare bodied and dressed in an amude, inexpertly holding a plough at a Vap Magula. During JR’s period of rule, the Guaranteed Price Scheme for rice was scrapped and the farmers had to sell their goods to traders at low prices. The Floor Price Scheme and the Fertilizer Subsidy Scheme were withdrawn. Vegetables such as chillies, potatoes, onions were imported when there was plenty in the country. The Paddy Marketing Board was abolished and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
SL to raise $ 8 bln by selling valuable assets
The Government is hoping to raise US$8 billion from the lease or sale of valuable public assets to bolster rapidly dwindling foreign reserves, the report of a newly-appointed economic advisory committee has revealed. Among the main items in the list were the long term leases of Katunayake International Airport for $2 billion, Mattala Airport for $300 million and Ratmalana Airport for $400 million. Arrangements have been made to hand over the Colombo North Port Development Project for an investment of $600 million while Colombo Port City lands... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
ශෝක පණිවුඩය
ප්‍රවීණ ජ්‍යොතිෂවේදියෙක්, පුවත්පත් කතුවරයෙක්, කවියෙක් හා සාහිත්‍යධරයෙක් මෙන්ම හිටපු විදුහල්පතිවරයෙක් වූ පියසේන රතුවිතාන මහතාගේ අභාවය අසා මම බලවත් ශෝකයට පත්වූයෙමි. සමාජයේ වැඩිදෙනෙක් ජ්‍යොතිෂවේදියෙකු ලෙස හඳුනාගෙන සිටි පියසේන රතුවිතාන මහතා, කවිය, භාෂාව හා සාහිත්‍ය ආදී සෑම ක්ෂේත්‍රයකම විශිෂ්ටයෙකි. කළුතර කොහොලාන ගම්පියසේ උපත ලැබූ රතුවිතාන මහතා, කොහොලාන විදුහලෙන් මූලික අධ්‍යාපනය ලබා නිට්ටඹුව ජාතික අධ්‍යාපන පීඨයට ඇතුළත් විය. උප ගුරුවරයෙක් ලෙස කොළඹ නාලන්දා විද්‍යාලයට මුල්ම පත්වීම ලබමින් සිය වෘත්තීය ජීවිතය අරඹන පියසේන රතුවිතාන මහතා සිය සේවා කාලය තුළ පාසල් 27 ක සේවය කරමින් දරුවන් දහස් ගණනක නැණස... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
SL delegation leave for USA for IMF discussion
A delegation including Finance Minister Ali Sabry, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and Finance Ministry Secretary Mahinda Siriwardene left the country this morning to participate in discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Accordingly, they will hold discussions at IMF headquarters in Washington DC, USA. The talks are scheduled to take place from April 19 to 24. If the IMF talks succeed, Sri Lanka will receive close to US $ 4 billion.(DSB)... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
විරෝධතාකරුවන් ජනාධිපති කාර්යාලයේ කුණුහරුප පින්තූර මවයි..
ජනාධිපති ලේකම් කාර්යාලය ඉදිරිපිට විරෝධතාවයේ යෙදෙන විරෝධතාකරුවන් විසින් අද රාත්‍රියේ ජනාධිපති ලේකම් කාර්යාලයට ලේසර් එළි එල්ල කරමින් විරෝධතාවය අලුත් මුහඑුණුවරක් එක් කර ඇත. ගෝඨාභය ජනාධිපතිවරයාට ඉල්ලා අස්වන්නැයි සදහන් පාඨ ආලෝක ධාරාවන් මගින් නිරූපනය කර ඇත. එමෙන්ම සාටක පැලදාගත් රාජපක්ෂ පවුල ඇතුළු විවිධ නිර්මාණ එමගින් නිරූපණය කරන අතර ඇතැම් අසත්‍ය සංකේත ද ඒ අතර දක්නට තිබේ. ලේසර් කිරණ යොමු කරන ප්‍රොජෙක්ටරය ආරක්ෂක අංශ විසින් වැලැක් වීමටද කටයුතු කර තිබේ.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
මහින්ද උගන්ඩා සමාගමක බිලියන 10ක් දාලාද.. සමාගමේ නිවේදනය මෙන්න..
අගමැති මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා උගන්ඩාවේ සෙරනිට් ගෲප් නැමැති සමාගමක ඩොලර් බිලියන 10 ක් ආයෝජනය කර ඇතැයි පලවන වාර්තා සම්බන්ධයෙන් එම සමාගම ප්රතිචාර දක්වයි. නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කරමින් ඔවුන් සඳහන් කරන්නේ විවිධ පාර්ශව විසින් එල්ල කරන චෝදනා සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම අසත්‍ය බවයි. නොමඟ ගිය පිරිසක් විසින් එම චෝදනා එල්ල කරන බවත් පවසන ආයතනය තම ආයතනය ආරම්භයේ පටන්ම උගන්ඩා සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකා පුද්ගලික බැංකු ණය සමග ක්‍රමයෙන් දියුණු වූ බව චෝදනා කරන අය නොදන්නා බවද කියා සිටී.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
Sri Lanka seeks bridging finance from India till IMF bailout
Colombo: While India plays a prominent role in helping its neighbour Sri Lanka come out of a deep economic crisis, it was learnt from reliable sources that Colombo has asked New Delhi to provide bridging finance for the crisis-ridden country till the International Monetary Fund (IMF) provides adequate funds, which may take another three to four months. Notably, this comes after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held several rounds of discussions with her Lankan counterpart and High Commissioner. Sri Lanka, sources added, has also asked India to use its influence on friendly countries... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
Was the regime change part of the US Indo-Pacific strategy?
Pakistan joined those countries where de-dollarisation was followed by regime change The geopolitical and geoeconomic competition in theIndo-Pacific is specified by the intense US-China competition to secure their national interests, however, at the cost of national security and stability of the other states in the Indo-Pacific. The ongoing political crises in the Indo-Pacific neighbouring states of Afghanistan, Myanmar, and more recently Pakistan and Sri Lanka, can be identified as the resurgence of ‘fait accomplis’ as a viable tactic of strategic competition adopted by the USA to construct a shared networking and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
Implausibility of impeachment
There is a major economic crisis in the country which has led to political instability and a constitutional stalemate. With the resignation of the Cabinet of Ministers barring the Prime Minister, there is an urgent need to appoint a Cabinet in addition to the four Ministers already appointed. There are serious discussions to reach a consensus on some of the proposals submitted jointly by the group of MPs who announced last week about their independent status in Parliament. Meanwhile, some parliamentarians raised the possibility of a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) or... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
Protests have woken up politicians, but further economic harm must be avoided
People have demonstrated their opposition to the way the affairs of the country have been conducted bringing the economy to near collapse. To curb the growing tide of protest, curfews were declared but disregarded. What next? Not a state of anarchy surely. Chaos and total disarray is bound to follow if no remedial action is taken. The people themselves will not want a state of chaos. The protests are intended to pressure the authorities to pull the country out of one chaotic situation and not to get into another. It... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
Catholic Church backs Galle Face protests
The Catholic Church has decided to extend its fullest support to the Galle Face protest demanding the resignation of the President, said Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando, Director, National Catholic Center for Social Communications and spokesman for the Church. Addressing a press conference at Bishop’s House in Colombo on Thursday he said that the Catholic Church is also of the view that the President should resign. Fr Cyril Gamini said that the many members of the Catholic Church were already on the sidelines of the protest. Asked whether there... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
Bandula, Dullas and Thondaman also refuse Cabinet posts
Former Minister of Mass Media Dullas Alahapperuma says he will not accept a position in the new Cabinet of Ministers. In a twitter message posted today, the SLPP parliamentarian said he believes that a government consisting of all the political parties represented in Parliament will be the best option at this critical juncture. Alahapperuma also extended his best wishes to the soon to be appointed “youth-heavy” new cabinet. “I stand by my decision (made on 3rd April) not to accept a cabinet position. I believe a government consisting all parties... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
I won’t accept any post in new Cabinet - Sarath Weerasekara
Former Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekera said he had decided not to take up any post in the new Cabinet. "I have always stood for the unity of the country, the Buddha Sasana and the people and I will continue to do my duty for the nation and for the people. Due to the current crisis in the country, i have decided not to take up any post in the new cabinet, " he said... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
Lanka IOC increases fuel prices again
Lanka IOC has once again decided to increase the retail prices of petrol and diesel sold through its filling stations. LIOC announced that the price of all types of petrol has been increased by Rs. 35 per litre and diesel by Rs. 75 per litre. The price hike is effective from midnight today (April 17), the company said. Accordingly, the revised LIOC prices per litre are as follows: Petrol (92 Octane) – Rs. 338Petrol (95 Octane) – Rs. 367Petrol Euro 3 – Rs. 347Auto Diesel – Rs. 289 Super... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
No plans to unleash military power on peaceful protesters - Defence Secretary
Defence Secretary Gen. (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne says that there are no plans to abuse military power by unleashing it on peaceful protester. He stated this in a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence, in response to a Facebook post made by Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka addressing the Secretary of Defence and and the Commander of the Army. Further, the Ministry of Defence noted that the military forces will not be deployed to suppress democratically held peaceful protests. “However, the military will assist the Police if only such assistance is... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
Bolstering Myanmar-Bangladesh Ties With Neighbourly Spirit
Myanmar and Bangladesh should bolster their ties with neighbourly spirit for various reasons. Currently the strained Myanmar-Bangladesh relations need to be smoothened. January 13, 2022, marked the 50 years of bilateral ties between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Myanmar recognized Bangladesh as a sovereign state on January 13, 1972. But there weren’t any seminars, discussions, statements, reciprocation, felicitations between the two neighbors to mark the special day. There were many ups and downs between the tow neighbors over 50 years. But Myanmar-Bangladesh needs to strengthen ties for ensuring the greater interest of the two regions... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
How great is the 19th amendment to Sri Lanka’s constitution
There are increased calls to return to the 19th amendment, little do they know the confusions & contradictions that prevails an amendment presented as an Urgent Bill & passed given little or no time for the People to make their observations or for counsels to study, though the most alarming part was the incongruencies in what was submitted to Parliament differing to what was presented to the Supreme Court to determine. These inconsistencies hardly boast of anything great about 19th amendment for Sri Lanka to return to it without making changes. 19th amendment... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
POLITICS IN SRI LANKA Part 3 G
JR meddled in the transport sector. Ceylon Transport Board had been set up on 1 January 1958, during MEP rule. At its peak, it was the largest omnibus company in the world - with about 7,000 buses and over 50,000 employees. The government of J.R. Jayewardene was intent on destroying what was now a popular symbol of efficient state enterprise, said Wikipedia. By Law No. 19 of 1978, the CTB was broken up into Regional Transport Boards (RTBs). Sri Lanka Central Transport Board (SLCTB) was established, but it had no connection to the RTBs.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
ලංකාවේ ආදර්ශ අරගලය, ජාත්යන්තරයට පැතිර ගියොත්
Martin Luther King දක්ෂම කථිකයා ය. I Have A Dream ය. කොසොල් රජුට Dreams 16 ක් තිබුනේය. දියව් දියව් ආපහු දියව් දමව් දමව් හිරේ දමව් ගොල් පීස් Dream රැල්ල ස්විස් බැංකුව ඉදිරියටත් පැතිරිණි. ස්විස් කොල්ලෝ කෙල්ලෝ සමග එක්ව සිංහල දෙමල මුස්ලිම් කොල්ලෝ කෙල්ලෝද අරාබි, අප්රිකානු, යුක්රේනියානු, රුසියානු, ඇමෙරිකානු, චීන මෙකි නොකී සියලු රටවල කොල්ලෝ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
How did President End Up Holding the Entire Bucket of Faeces?
In record time Sri Lanka’s most beloved Presidential candidate had become Sri Lanka’s most hated President. This transformation took place despite being one of the few world leaders who had successfully managed the Covid-19 pandemic. Those who congregate in the streets today with placards of ‘Go Gota Go’ forget that they are able to assemble without a second thought because of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s timely response to the pandemic. When the pandemic hit the island in March 2020, we did not have the kind of economy that could afford a... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
‘’TOURISM IN SRI LANKA - THE WAY FORWARD TO BE THE BEST DESTINATION ON THE GLOBE’’
Sri Lanka a most popular tourist destination For centuries, Sri Lanka has been a popular place of attraction for foreign travellers, for various reasons. It is a world renowned destination for historical and archaeological significance, Buddhism linked with culture and historical sites of significance, natural beauty with forests plants and wild... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
WILL THE NEW GOVERNOR OF CENTRAL BANK DR.NANDALAL WEERASINGHA BE SUCCESSFUL? IF NOT HOW SUCCESSFUL WILL HE BE?
1) WILL HE BE ABLE TO MAKE CBSL AN INDEPENDENT BODY SERVING THE COUNTRY? DID NOT HE SAY SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN RECENT INTERVIEWS? LET SEE? THE ANSWERS TO ABOVE QUESTIONS DEPEND ON HIS ABILITY TO EXECUTE THE FOLLOWING? 2) HE HAS TO FIND OUT ALL THE WAYS OF SPENDING OR WASTING DOLLARS IN SRI LANKA. 3) CREATE A PRIORITY LIST TO SPEND DOLLARS AVAILABLE IN THE COUNTRY. AND THEN USE WHATEVER AVAILABLE ACCORDING TO THE LIST. WITHOUT DOING THIS JUST TIGHTENING MONETARY POLICIES ALONE... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 17/04/22)
Opposition disunity and foreign aid may help the Rajapaksas stay afloat
Colombo, April 16: The Rajapaksa regime in Sri Lanka, extremely hard-pressed though it economically and politically, might still survive thanks to disunity among the Opposition parties and the massive infusion of financial and material aid to the country from abroad. The fact that the politically savvy Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has come out of his shell and is fronting for the reclusive and apolitical President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is also expected to buttress the government. There are essentially six critical factors working in favor of the regime. The first factor is the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
Why Punjab, Bihar, Rajasthan, Andhra, UP must learn from Sri Lanka, cut debt and freebies
At 53% in 2021-22, Punjab has worst debt-to-GSDP ratio. CAG data shows UP’s interest payments have grown by 6% in 5 years. Andhra’s outstanding debt hit Rs 3.89 lakh crore in 2021-22. New Delhi: On 4 April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a long meeting with secretaries of the central government and, among the many concerns raised at the meeting, the most oft-highlighted one was the poor health of state finances. Officials told the PM that some Indian states could go down the same path as Sri Lanka if they... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
Buy Sri Lanka and name it Ceylon Musk: Snapdeal CEO advises Elon Musk
Elon Musk has recently announced that he would pay $54.20 per share for Twitter, valuing it at about $40 billion. As Tesla chief Elon Musk has launched a hostile takeover effort for Twitter with a $43 billion cash takeover offer, Snapdeal CEO has cracked a joke on Twitter on this multi-billion dollars bid. CEO Kunal Bahl has suggested to Musk that instead of buying Twitter, he can buy Sri Lanka, the country which is witnessing its worst economic crisis with prices of food items such as a kilogram of rice soaring to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
Colombo Stock Exchange to remain shut for 5 days as Sri Lanka struggles to combat forex crisis
With Sri Lanka on the brink of bankruptcy and saddled with dwindling foreign reserves and $25 billion in foreign debt, the CSE will remain temporarily closed for a week from April 18. The stock market will remain temporarily closed for a period of five business days from Monday. (File The Colombo Stock Exchange will remain temporarily closed for a week from Monday to provide investors an opportunity to have "more clarity and understanding" of the current economic conditions in crisis-hit Sri Lanka that would help them "to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
Sri Lanka Crisis: Army Denies Speculations That It Will Crush Protests, Vows To Safeguard Constitution
The Sri Lankan Army also denied speculation that soldiers were undergoing training to assault protesters. Following speculations on social media that military might be roped in to crush ongoing anti-government protests in the country, the Sri Lankan Army on Saturday said they would not be part of a crackdown on protests and would not resort to any violence. The army said in a statement that they would thoroughly uphold the Constitution. It went on to deny speculation that soldiers were undergoing training to assault protesters. The statement said, "Troops, as... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
Why India should pull Sri Lanka out of China’s ‘debt trap’ and take it closer to the US
The Rajapaksas' political future is shaky. New Delhi will only prolong the hardship faced by Sri Lanka unless Colombo turns to the US. Sri Lanka should move closer to the US and resolve its ongoing crisis. For all the Rajapaksas’ giving cold shoulder to the International Monetary Fund’s offer for help, it is with diplomatic assistance provided by India that Sri Lanka must mend ties with the US. On 12 April, Sri Lanka declared the default on all payments on its $51-billion external debt to buy oil and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
Drug dealers, fundamentalist groups taking advantage of economic crisis, says Advisor to Sri Lanka President
Colombo [Sri Lanka], April 17 (ANI): Amid protests in Sri Lanka over the country's worst economic crisis, an advisor to the Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday said the government has tried to control drug dealers "who have a lot of money" and that they are "very angry".In an interview with ANI, Walpole Piyananda, Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka on International Religious Affairs also said that "fundamental Leftist groups" were also working against the government and sections of the minority community in the country "were angry" with the government.He indicated that ongoing protests... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
India and China are friends of Sri Lanka and Russia in need indeed
India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar attends the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit in Colombo, Sri Lanka, March 29, 2022. /VCG Editor's note: Rabi Sankar Bosu is an Indian contributor to Chinese media outlets. He writes about Chinese politics, social and cultural issues, and China-India relations with a special interest in the Belt and Road Initiative. The article reflects the author's views, and not necessarily those of CGTN. The signing of the agreement between India and Sri Lanka to set up... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
A constructive critique of the protests
I’d like to say this is the beginning of the end, but it’s not. The latest spate of protests to hit the country has now been going on for more than a week. These protests have targeted one thing and one thing only: the Rajapaksas’ exit from power. While some argue we need to go beyond this objective and ask all parliamentarians to resign, others point out the difficulty or impracticality of such campaigns. Meanwhile, Colombo’s middle-class teenagers are busy formulating plans for the future. Some are talking about chasing rogues away,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
Flight that leaves Ratmalana belongs to UK millionaire
The flight that left Ratmalana today morning - N750GF - for Dubai, belongs to British national and UK millionaire George Davies, the Daily Mirror learns. Rumors were rife that former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa had left Colombo for Dubai on this flight, but sources confirmed that this private aircraft was carrying foreign nationals who had arrived last month. According to details, the N750GF was carrying two foreign nationals including Davies on board and arrived in Sri Lanka on March 28. It departed Ratmalana Airport on April 16 morning for Dubai,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
Stock market temporarily closed next week
The Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Sri Lanka has directed the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) to temporarily close the stock market for a period of five business days commencing from the 18th of April. In a statement, the SEC director, Tushara Jayaratne said the Board of Directors of the CSE, by way of a communiqué dated April 15, had called upon the Commission to temporarily close the stock market citing the present situation in the country. Many other stakeholders of the securities market including the Colombo Stock Brokers Association had also... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
Sabry-led delegation to depart tomorrow for talks with IMF
The Sri Lankan delegation led by Finance Minister Ali Sabry will depart the island in the early hours on Sunday (April 17) to take part in the discussions with the International Monetary Fund. The talks are taking place in Washington, United States from 19-24 April. The finance minister is accompanied by Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and Secretary to the Finance Ministry Mahinda Siriwardene.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
Pole antenna structure at Galle Face Green removed
The pole antenna structure installed at the Galle Face Green by a leading telecommunications service provider in the country has been removed, Ada Derana correspondent says. Concerns were raised on social media platforms with regard to the Capacity Enhance solution at the Galle Face Green premises where the ongoing public protest against the government is staged. Taking these concerns into account, the company decided to de-install the antenna structure. In a notice, the company said the sole purpose of the installation was to alleviate congestion levels in the Galle Face... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 16/04/22)
THE POWER OF ABILITY OF GOTA AGAINST CONSPIRACY OF THOSE LOOKING FOR A REGIME CHANGE.
The power of "ABILITY" of Gota against "CONSPIRACY" of those looking for a "Regime Change". The protest taking place in Sri Lanka has been planned out in the same way the "Truckers Protest" was staged in Canada against PM Justin Trudeau by the American Republicans. The SJB, JVP, NPP and some elements of the SLFP and the Anti government groups are behind this attempt to set in a regime change. The US Embassy gave away a... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
පාස්කු දින පණිවුඩය
ජේසුස් ක්‍රිස්තුස් වහන්සේ මරණය පරාජය කරමින් උත්ථානය ලැබූ විජයග්‍රාහී ප්‍රීතියේ සැමරුම් දිනය පාස්කුවයි. කිතුනු ජනතාවගේ ප්‍රධානතම මංගල්‍යක් වන පාස්කුව ලොවපුරා කිතුනු බැතිමතුන් සමඟ ශ්‍රී ලංකේය කිතුනු ජනතාව සමරනුයේ මහත් හරසරිනි. පාස්කු මංගල්‍යයට පෙර කිතුනු බැතිමත්හු ජේසුස් ක්‍රිස්තුන් වහන්සේ කුරුසිය මත දිවි පිදීමේ යාගය මහ සිකුරාදා දිනයේ සිහිපත් කරනුයේ දුක්විඳීම හා මරණය මෙනෙහි කරමිනි. පරිත්‍යාගශීලී ජීවිතයක වටිනාකම මෙන්ම ධෛර්යය හා ශක්තිය ජීවිතයට ළඟාකර ගතහැකි අධ්‍යාත්මික මාර්ගය මෙනෙහි කිරීමට අද වැනි දිනයක් සියලු දෙනාට එක සේ වැදගත්ය. ඒ සඳහා ඔවුහු අළු බදාදා සිට දින... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
NATIONAL JOINT COMMITTEE STATEMENT ON “GOTA-GO” CAMPAIGN
Under our Constitution (vide Article 40) when the office of the President falls vacant prior to his term of office by resignation or otherwise, his successor has to be elected by Members of Parliament and the new President will hold office for the remaining period of the office of President. The new President is elected by secret ballot and by absolute majority. Thus, the 113 Members of Parliament may ultimately decide who the new President is to be in place of the President elected by the people. Those who prosecute this campaign should first disclose... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
Rev Fr Cyril Gamini: judge, jury, prosecutor and pernicious rabble-rouser
Rev Fr Cyril Gamini (RFCG hereafter) has found his voice. RFCG, after shooting his mouth and naming names in a zoom discussion, was duly complained about and required to make a statement. Having named names, he was required to offer tangible proof, for lack thereof would amount to defamation. He ducked. He hid under his own cassock. We wonder if he went to confession at any point thereafter. Anyway, RFCG is back at his own games of casting aspersions, loose-cannoning if you will. He's careful, RFCG is. He deliberately and meticulously... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
POLITICS IN SRI LANKA PT 3 F
JR made radical changes to the economic policy of Sri Lanka .He brought in a free market economy, ending years of socialist bungling. The economic liberalization of 1977 pioneered by JR made radical changes in the economic policy of the country, said economists. The 1977 economic reforms saw an initial burst of healthy growth and the ‘take off’ of the economy, but it became sluggish thereafter. It did not lead to any genuine economic advance. JR’s ‘economic liberalization’ started the process that led the country into the economic disaster it is facing today in 2022. He said... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
India says its aid to Lanka could be part of bridge financing ahead of IMF help
Colombo, April 14 (Hindustan Times/newsin.asia): Sri Lanka has sought India’s assistance in garnering international support to secure bridge financing as it enters negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout programme to cope with the island nation’s worst economic crisis in decades, according to a statement from the Sri Lankan high commission. On Tuesday, Sri Lanka declared it would default on its external debt pending a bailout from IMF. The move was attributed to the country’s critically low foreign exchange reserves. This was the first time Sri Lanka has announced a debt... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
Amid Sri Lankan economic crisis, apparel orders from island nation diverting to India
Amid Sri Lankan economic crisis, apparel orders from island nation diverting to IndiaRead more At:https://www.aninews.in/news/business/business/amid-sri-lankan-economic-crisis-apparel-orders-from-island-nation-diverting-to-india20220415195455/... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
Sri Lanka’s ‘love–hate’ relationship with the IMF
As Sri Lanka descends into economic despair, only two options are open to it: Either seek further assistance from the IMF or seek loans from individual countries. Lately, India’s immediate neighbourhood is in doldrums. From the mass protests, killings, and use of arms over the military coup in Myanmar about a year back to the recent political and economic conundrum unfolding in Pakistan; from the fresh rise of COVID-19 cases in Chinese cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen to the epicentre of the region’s much talked about economic crisis emerging from Sri Lanka—India... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
Crisis-Hit Lanka Seeks India’s Help For Cooking Gas Supply
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in history. With long lines for fuel, cooking gas, essentials in short supply and long hours of power cuts, the public has been suffering for months. Sri Lanka has started a process to import cooking gas through a credit line arrangement with India, the chair of the country’s state-run gas company Litro Gas said on Friday as he resigned from his post alleging that a gas mafia was engaged in corruption amidst the country’s worst economic crisis. Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
We will not ignore poor while seeking IMF assistance, Sri Lankan Finance Minister
COLOMBO Sri Lanka’s economic recovery will depend on reforms undertaken with the IMF’s support, but the government will not ignore the country’s poor, Finance Minister Ali Sabry said. The recently appointed Minister spoke to The Hindu ahead of his departure to Washington DC, where he will lead the Sri Lankan delegation in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund. “We have seen huge cuts to the country’s revenue and are trying to recover from the current economic crisis. Reforms are going to be crucial,” he said. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
Theshara Jayasinghe resigns as Litro chairman
Theshara Jayasinghe has stepped down from his position as the chairman of Litro Gas Lanka Limited, the primary liquefied petroleum gas supplier in Sri Lanka. Conveying the decision to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his letter of resignation, Jayasinghe said he resigned with effect from 14 April (Thursday). Jayasinghe says, since the day of his appointment on July 06, 2021, he had not received enough support from then-Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa. He explained that he cannot solve the ongoing LP gas crisis by himself, noting that it needs the contribution of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
SriLankan issues clarification on cargo flights to Uganda in 2021
SriLankan Airlines has clarified the speculations circulated on social media regarding SriLankan aircraft uplifting printed material to Entebbe International Airport in Uganda last year. In a statement issued on 14 April, SriLankan Airlines said it received an air cargo order to transport approximately 102 tons of printed material from Colombo to Entebbe International Airport in Uganda in February 2021. In April last year, a local news outlet had raised questions with regard to the cargo manifests in an attempt to confirm what exactly the printed material was. According to the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
Ceylon Petroleum Corporation limits dispensing fuel for vehicles
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation says dispensing fuel volumes for vehicles at filling stations is limited with effect from 1.00 p.m. today (April 15). Thereby, filling stations are permitted to pump only fuel worth Rs. 1,000 for motorcycles at a single time. For three-wheelers, the limit has been set at Rs. 1,500 worth of fuel. https://youtu.be/85UWe8c2z24 Meanwhile, the maximum amount of fuel allowed to be dispensed to cars, vans and SUVs is worth Rs. 5,000. However, the restrictions are not applied to buses, lorries and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
THE TRUE COST OF AUSTERITY AND INEQUALITY
Among EU nations, Greece has been hardest hit by the impact of thefinancial crisis. Two years ago, in June 2011, The Economist evaluatedthe EU‟s actions towards Greece and said that a new rule seemed tohave been adopted: „if a plan doesn‟t work, stick to it‟.1 Two years laterthere is no sign of any change in direction, while the social and politicalsituation continues to worsen.Context of the crisis in GreeceIn Greece, the decade leading up to the crisis was characterized by alack of structural reform in taxation, public debt and public sector pay.Greece... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
POLITICS IN SRI LANKA PT 3 E
India did not stop there. India was determined to get a good hold on Sri Lanka . India used the Tamil Separatist Movement for this. A process of negotiations was begun between the Governments of India and Sri Lanka with India playing the role of an interlocutor bringing the Tamil parties and the Government of Sri Lanka to the negotiating table, in order to solve the ongoing insurgency by Tamil militants and the ethnic problem in the island through Constitutional proposals. The outcomes of these negotiations were the Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
POLITICS IN SRI LANKA Part 3 D
JR shot to fame when he spoke at San Francisco Peace Conference in September 1951, where he asked that Japan be forgiven after World War II and reparations forgotten Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake had been invited to participate at the San Francisco Peace Treaty Conference in September 1951, held to propose punitive provisions and the enforcement of arbitrary restrictions and embargoes for Japan. D.S. was unable to attend and sent Finance Minister JR instead. Prior to his departure, Jayewardene had a discussion with the Prime Minister who strongly advocated the idea of supporting... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
බං කො ලො ත් ? ?
ලෝක බංකොලොත් ලිස්ට් එකට ලංකාවත් එකතු විය හැක. සමහරු බයය හැම දේටම බයය. ලිස්ට් එකේ ඇමරිකාව එංග ලන්තය සාමාජිකයින් උනේ බොහෝ කලකට පෙරය. ලිස්ට් එකේ සාමාජිකයෙක් වීම නම කැත වීමක් නොවේය. ග්‍රීසියත් සාමාජිකය. bankrupt සංගමේ සාමාජිකයෝ ඔක්කොම එලොව ගිහින් මෙලොව ආවෝය. අවුරුදු කීපයකින් බංකොලොත් භාවයෙන් මිදුනේය. අලුත් තත්වයට ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
Ready for a discussion with the people who protest at the Gall Face Greens- Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse declares that he is ready to negotiate with the protestors who picket at the Gall Face Greens on Socio-economic and political issues in the country. Accordingly, important thoughts held by the protestors will be discussed in detail for the sake of overcoming the challenge faced by the country at the moment. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse further mentions that he invites the representatives of the groups who picket if they are ready to negotiate. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
ගෝල්ෆේස් විරෝධයට එක්වූ නිලධාරියා ගංජාකාරයෙක්.. වැඩ තහනම් වූවෙක්.. විනය පරීක්‍ෂණ..- පොලිසිය
ගාලු මුවදොර විරෝධතාකරුවන්ට සහාය දක්වමින් කටයුතු කළ පොලිස් නිලධාරියා සම්බන්ධයෙන් විනය ක්රියාමාර්ග ගන්නා බව පොලිසිය සඳහන් කරයි. පොලිස් මාධ්‍ය ප්‍රකාශක කාර්යාලය නිවේදනයක් නිකුත් කරමින් සඳහන් කරන්නේ මීට පෙරද මෙම නිලධාරියා විනය විරෝධී කාරණා මත සේවය අත්හිටුවනු ලැබූවකු බවයි. අතිශය මානුකම්පිත හේතු මත නැවත රාජකාරි පිහිටුවා ඇති බවද එම නිවේදනයේ සඳහන් වේ. අදාළ නිවේදනය මෙසේය.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
Sri Lanka debt restructuring could take months: S&P
Protesters, gathered at the entrance of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office, eat while sitting along a road, in Colombo on April 14, 2022, during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Severe shortages of food and fuel, alongside lengthy electricity blackouts, have led to weeks of widespread anti-government demonstrations. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images) By: Chandrashekar Bhat S&P GLOBAL RATINGS said Wednesday (13) it could take months for Sri Lanka to restructure its foreign debt, a day after the country announced it would default on the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 15/04/22)
Sri Lanka seeking up to $4 billion as IMF talks to start next week
EXCLUSIVE: Sri Lanka's new finance minister, Ali Sabry, says the country plans to start talks with the IMF on April 18 to secure as much as $4 billion in aid for the economy.He also signaled optimism in getting financial support from China and India https://t.co/oUksMp7ea6 pic.twitter.com/uIzYwe2aEK— Bloomberg (
business) April 14, 2022 Sri Lanka needs between $3 billion to $4 billion this year to pull itself out of an unprecedented economic crisis and plans to start talks with the International Monetary Fund for help, Finance Minister Ali Sabry said. The nation is looking at making a... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 14/04/22)
What next if the President resigns? From the frying pan to the fire?
While negotiating the IMF package of assistance, the Sri Lanka government could consider a summit with Japan, South Korea, China, India, the EU, UK, USA and the Middle Eastern Arab States for a relief package. Such a package could potentially be up to USD 10 Billion if handled at the highest levels and could include barter arrangements with these countries for some export products. Demands being made for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign are many and vociferous. Those who are making these demands should however consider some factors. Firstly, the constitutional position. As... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/04/22)
POLITICS IN SRI LANKA PT 3 B
KM de Silva observed that the 1977 election was a landmark election, after 1956. JR was responsible for many changes in the political and economic spheres. JR engineered a fresh Constitution for Sri Lanka. The 1977 government appointed a Select Committee of the National State Assembly to consider the revision of the 1972 Constitution. It soon became apparent that what the government had in mind was not the revision of the existing constitution, but its repeal and replacement by a wholly new constitution prepared outside the Select Committee, recalled Nihal Jayawickrema. While... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/04/22)
RESOLVING THE PRESENT CRISIS
14th April 2022 Resolving the ongoing crisis in Sri Lanka has now become the greatest challenge for the Rajapaksa Administration. It is noteworthy to observe that Sri Lanka will be unable to make a USD 200 million loan repayment next week as the government decide to suspend all external debt repayments. This will place further pressure on the banking sector as a former national leader has observed which by itself is a true observation which lends credibility to the importance of quick remedial action needed to steer the teetering ship of Sri... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/04/22)
Mayor Patrick Brown and his surrogate Tamil Family
13 April 2022 Mayor Patrick Brown MPPOffice of the MayorCity of Brampton2 Wellington Street WestBrampton, OntarioL6Y 4R2 Dear Mayor Patrick Brown: Now that I have gathered through bylined Tonda Maccharles’s news item in the Toronto Star, “Patrick Brown vows in video to end Canada’s ‘terrorist’ designation for Tamil Tigers. Your taking the plunge to be the God Father of the Canadian- Tamils, let me be the first Sinhala-Canadian to wish you a Happy Sinhalese & Tamil New Year. Suba... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/04/22)
High Commissioner Moragoda meets Finance Minister of India to review present status of Indo-Lanka economic cooperation
Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India, Milinda Moragoda met with the Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister of India Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi, today (13 April) to review the present status of Indo-Lanka economic cooperation as Sri Lanka enters negotiations with the IMF for an economic adjustment programme. At the outset, High Commissioner Moragoda thanked the Indian Finance Minister for the assistance that India is extending to Sri Lanka in the form of credits for essential commodities and fuel, and also for balance of payment support extended... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/04/22)
ගාලු මුවදොර විරෝධතාවයේ නිරත පිරිස සමඟ සාකච්ඡාවකට සූදානම් - අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා
සමාජ,ආර්ථික හා දේශපාලන හේතු මත ගාලු මුවදොරට රැස්වී දැනට විරෝධතාවයේ නිරතවන පිරිස සමඟ අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරයා වශයෙන් තමන් සාකච්ඡාවකට සූදානම් බව අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා දැනුම් දෙයි. ඒ අනුව රට හමුවේ මේ මොහොතේ පවතින අභියෝගය ජයගැනීම වෙනුවෙන් විරෝධතාවයේ නිරත පිරිස දක්වන වටිනා අදහස් සාකච්ඡාවට ලක්කිරීමට අපේක්ෂිතය. මෙම සාකච්ඡාව සඳහා විරෝධතාවයේ නිරත පිරිස සූදානම් නම් තමන් ඒ සඳහා එම පිරිසේ නියෝජිතයන්ට ඊට ආරාධනා කරන බව ද අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතා සඳහන් කරයි.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/04/22)
ප්‍රශ්ණ දෙස රාමුවෙන් ඔබ්බට ගොස් බැලීම
(1). 2021 සැප්තැම්බර් සිට 2022 මාර්තු 10 දක්වා ඩොලරය ස්ථීර (fixed) කර තිබු අතර එම අගය වුයේ රුපියල් 203කි. හිටපු මහ බැංකු අධිපති (කබ්රාල් මහතා) මේ ක්‍රියාමාර්ගය ගැනීමට ප්‍රධානතම හේතුව වුයේ ඒ වනවිට ශ්‍රී ලාංකාවට විදේශ විනිමය (ඩොලර්) ඒම ඉතාම පහළ වැටී තිබීමයි. රටේ ඩොලර් හිඟ වීම නිසා, රුපියලට සාපේක්ෂව ඩොලරයේ වටිනාකම ඉහල නැඟීණි. අප ආනයන මත යැපුණු ආර්ථිකයක් නිසා ඩොලරය ඉහල යත්ම උද්ධමනය (බඩු මිල ඉහල යාම) වැඩිවේ (JR ජයවර්ධනගේ සීමා විරහිත විවෘත ආර්ථිකයට පින්සිඳු වන්න අප අද දේශීය කර්මාන්ත සියල්ලම පාහේ වසා දමා සියල්ල - ඉඳිකට්ට පවා, ආනයනය කරන්නෙමු). ඩොලරය පා කලහොත්... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/04/22)
Can Sri Lanka follow ‘Bangladesh Model’ to avert its economic recession?
Sri Lanka can follow ‘Bangladesh Economic Miracle’ model to avert its economic crisis. As Sri Lanka is going through an economic recession, its South Asian neighbor ‘Bangladesh’ has confirmed as a South Asian Economic Miracle’ As Bangladesh marks its 51th independence anniversary this year, its tremendous economic growth has made it an emerging hub for regional connectivity, attracting more trade and investment opportunities. According to the World Bank, the country has been among the fastest growing economies globally over the past decade, supported by a demographic dividend, strong ready-made garment... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/04/22)
India commits $2 billion financial assistance to Sri Lanka
The island nation, hit by its worst economic crisis since independence and on the brink of its first debt default, has been asking friendly nations for credit lines, food and energy. India is willing to commit up to another $2 billion in financial assistance to Sri Lanka while also supporting the island nation with food and fuel, five sources told Reuters, as New Delhi tries to regain ground lost to China in recent years. Sri Lanka, hit by its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948 and on the brink... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/04/22)
IMF says it welcomes Sri Lanka's plans to engage with creditors
COLOMBO: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday (Apr 13) said that it supported Sri Lanka's plans to engage in "collaborative dialogue" with creditors, a day after the country unilaterally suspended external debt payments amid a severe economic crisis. "We assessed Sri Lanka's debt to be unsustainable and that the country's fiscal efforts and macroeconomic policy adjustments alone could not restore debt sustainability," Masahiro Nozaki, IMF’s mission chief for Sri Lanka, told Reuters in a statement. "Therefore, we welcome the Sri Lankan authorities plan to engage in a collaborative dialogue with their... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/04/22)
Govt halts foreign debt repayments pending a programme of IMF
Also seeks financial help from other partners to alleviate the suffering of masses The Ministry of Finance (MOF) yesterday announced the new the policy of the government concerning the servicing of Sri Lanka’s external public debt pending the completion of the government’s discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the preparation of a comprehensive debt restructuring programme. MOF said that recent events including the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the fallout from the hostilities in Ukraine, have so eroded Sri Lanka’s fiscal position that continued normal servicing of external... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/04/22)
Elections or constitutional amendments will not solve ongoing crisis - Ranil
Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says elections or constitutional amendments at this point will not solve the ongoing crisis in Sri Lanka. https://youtu.be/cXd-W5us81w In a statement made today (April 13), the United National Party (UNP) leader stated that Sri Lanka is unable to make a USD 200 million loan repayment next week as the government decide to suspend all external debt repayments. This will place further pressure on the banking sector, he added. This decision is an announcement by the government that the country is bankrupt, Wickremesinghe said... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/04/22)
Now is a Great Time For Expats To Invest in Sri Lankan Properties: LankaPropertyWeb
According to the recently released House Price Index of LankaPropertyWeb that is based on asking prices for Q1 of 2022, the overall selling prices of apartments have soared by 36.08% from Q1 of 2021 while the overall residential land prices of Sri Lanka have reduced by 29.77%. Further analysis of the Colombo apartment prices showed that average prices of a 3 bedroom unit have increased from LKR 49.93 million in Q1 of 2021 to LKR 69.14 million in Q1 of 2022 accounting to a 27.28% increase in... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
Message by the CBSL Governor to the Sri Lankans living abroad
Due to several reasons including the COVID-19 pandemic, global political imbalances and gradual erosion of fiscal position of the country, Sri Lanka is now facing social, economic and financial distress leading to disturbances to normal lives of our people. Although the authorities are taking measures to address the current situation of the country including taking steps to actively manage its debt obligations, finding immediate financial assistance from friendly nations and progressing with the discussions with the International Monetary Fund for a comprehensive programme, the positive impacts of such measures will be enjoyed... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
Sri Lanka temporarily suspends foreign debt payments to avoid default
The finance ministry in a press release said that the Sri Lankan government is suspending normal debt servicing of all affected external debts. Sri Lanka is entering into a ‘pre-emptive negotiated default’ by giving notice ahead of time and asking lenders to come to the negotiating table, which is not a ‘hard default’ Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. The Sri Lankan government announced it would default on its external debt (estimated at $51 billion ) pending a bailout from the International Monetary Fund. For record-keeping purposes (and for purposes of determining... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
Government expenditure to be curbed - Finance Ministry Secretary
Finance Ministry Secretary says that they will issue a new circular to line ministries to reduce expenditure. Budget deficit has risen sharply due to high govt spending and lower revenues, therefore revenue has to be increased significantly and various methods will be introduced to achieve the target.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
Sri Lanka to receive USD 10 Mn emergency funding from World Bank
The World Bank has agreed to provide an emergency funding of USD 10 million to Sri Lanka for the purchase of essential pharmaceuticals by next week. In an exclusive interview with Ada Derana, Finance Minister Ali Sabry, PC, said Sri Lanka has additionally sought an aid of USD 500 million from the World Bank, for the provision of chemical fertilizer and paddy seeds to the farmers with the aim of alleviating the issues they are facing. https://youtu.be/mL_OVE4nccI Minister Sabry noted that the government is also looking to provide... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC DATA AND TRUTH ABOUT THE HUMAN CONDITION IN SRI LANKA
The study on the economic history shows that there have been fluctuations in economic growth from time to time and people in the world experienced negative and positive economic outcomes resulting from fluctuations. The changes in economic prosperity either positively or negatively impact human lives. This reality could be seen in all countries and people in Sri Lanka narrowly think that the impact of economic downturns affects only Sri Lanka and political parties use these changes for gaining publicity and this situation became politics in Sri Lanka equalizing to rubbish than a valuable process of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
ලෝක ගම්මානේ Puppeteers සහ රූකඩ නැටුම්
ලෝක ගම්මානෙට ප්රබල මුදල් සංචිත වර්ග කීපයක් අවශ්යය. ගම්මානේ ශක්තිමත්ම මුදල් list එකේ US dollar එක 10 වෙනියාය. චීනයේ යුඅං 6.37 ක් ඩොලර් එකකට දෙන්නේය. යුඅං මුදල් සංචිත නායකත්වයට හොඳ contender කෙනෙකි. ඉන්දියන් රූපී ද ශක්තිමත්ය. මුදල් සංචිත නායකත්වයට හොඳ contender කෙනෙකි. ලෝක ගම්මානේ ශක්තිමත්ම මුදල KWD Kuwait Dinar ය. Dollar 3.28 ක් KWD එකය. අපේ ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
PROTESTORS - GO AFTER SECRETARIES/ENVOYS/SENIOR PUBLIC SERVANTS
Protestors who sincerely wish to end corruption must divert their demands to a key area that goes unnoticed. How many Secretaries/Envoys & Senior Public Servants have betrayed the nation being spineless party to preparing treacherous agreements. The excuse that they are only doing their job CANNOT be accepted. Secretaries before 1978 resigned & refused to do anything outside of their mandate. The current secretaries are in reality more corrupt than the politicians & they escape people's radar as a result their corruptions go unnoticed. Now that we are trying to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
’TACKALING PLASTIC POLLUTION ’
World Consumer Day World Consumer Day is remembered on 15th March every year worldwide by governments and organizations, in order to raise global awareness about the consumer needs and their rights. They have a right to know of the information on price quality and standard of the consumer items and services. The current world consumer day is celebrated since 1983 initiated by the inspiring speech by the President John Kennedy to the US congress on... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
A slice of Sri Lankan paradise for £114k? These soon-to-be built flats overlooking the Indian Ocean might make the perfect holiday home..
Weligama Sri Lanka: New flats start from £114k Weligama Sri Lanka: New flats start from £114k Myra Butterworth Southbeach Weligama is a new development of 106 flats in Sri Lanka, with prices ranging from £114k for a one-bed... When I saw this Advertorial, I could not believe if this is true! Soon after Covid-19, followed by Ukrainian Russian conflict balancing towards a Nuclear conflict, with Sri Lanka in political upheaval, riots in the news, and Holiday Homes investment at a mouth-watering price. Anyone who could... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
Helping Sri Lanka
Dear Editor , The very laudable efforts of many organizations and individuals world wide to raise funds to help SrI Lanka with obtaining the essential wares that have become unavailable to Sri Lankans through the current economic debacle, is much appreciated. However The intervention that is likely to have the quickest result to gain the much wanted Dollars , with dignity would be the return of tourist that was happening in droves even In March , that saw over 100,000 thousand . Since 3/4/22 these have... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
POLITICS IN SRI LANKA Part 3 C
President J.R.Jayewardene (1978 – 1989) had as his close advisors, two leaders of the Tamil Separatist Movement, A.J.Wilson and Neelan Thiruchelvam. Professor A.J. Wilson served as a constitutional advisor to J.R. from 1978-83. And Neelan Thiruchelvam was associated with Wilson in discussions with JR. JR would undoubtedly have come under their influence. We had a carefully planned operation, to arrest Tamil terrorists, said Army Commandeer Cyril Ranatunga. The operations were conducted on a low key with no publicity; JR was many times on phone to inquire about the release of the arrested Tamils. Obviously... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
Shut down the Dehiwala Zoo -and give freedom to all caged Animals, birds and fish put under life imprisonment for no crime they have committed in their life time as, Senaka has explained in detail in his article copied below
And, instead, put all the Sri Lankan politicians, who have robbed and destroyed the motherland since 1977 in these cages, if you want to rediscover and restore, that was Sri Lanka, once hailed as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean and the “Granary of the East”. Because such drastic punishment to corrupt and rogue politicians will teach a good lesson for them and those who come to politics hereafter will never rob public money in future or do anything detrimental to the Motherland or the people so that it will also create world history,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
බුරියානි පුරවාගෙන ලොරියක් එයි.. මිලියනයේ විරෝධතාකරුවන්ට බෙදා දෙයි..
කොළඹ ජනාධිපති කාර්යාලය ඉදිරියේ විරෝධතාවේ යෙදෙන පිරිස සදහා බුරියානි බෙදා දීමක් සිදු කර තිබේ. ලොරි රථයකින් පැමිණ බුරියානි බෙදා දෙන ආකාරය සමාජ ජාලාවන්හි පින්තූර හුවමාරු වෙමින් ඇත. ජනාධිපති ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ මහතාට ධුරයෙන් ඉල්ලා අස්වන බල කරමින් මෙම පිරිස් විරෝධතාවය. මිලියනයේ විරෝදතාව ලෙස නම් කර ඇති මෙය පැවැත්වෙන්නේ සිවු වන දිනටයි.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
මිලියනයේ විරෝධතාවට අරක්කු ලොරියක් බෑවා..- සන්නස්ගල
කොළඹ ජනාධිපති කාර්යාලය ඉදිරියේ විරෝධතාවයේ යෙදෙන විරෝධතාකරුවන් සඳහා ඊයේ රාත්‍රියේ අරක්කු ලොරියක් ලබාදී ඇති බව එම විරෝධතාවේ ඉදිරිගාමියෙකු වන උපුල් ශාන්ත සන්නස්ගල මහතා සඳහන් කරයි. විරෝධතාවය ඇතුලෙද ආණ්ඩුවේ ඔත්තුකරුවන්ට සිටිනා බවත් ඔවුන් සියලු රහස් රජයේ පාර්ශ්වයන් වෙත ලබා දෙමින් සිටින බවත් ඔහු චෝදනා කළේය. තමන් ළඟ සිටින සියලු දෙනාම අවිශ්වාස කරන ලෙසත් එමෙන්ම විශ්වාස කරන ලෙසත් ඔහු ඉල්ලා සිටියේය. සමාජ ජාලා ක්‍රියාකාරීන් යයි කියාගන්නා පිරිස් අරගලය පාවිච්චි කරමින් ජාවාරමක් සිදු කරමින් සිටින බවද තවදුරටත් චෝදනා කළේය. අන්තර්ජාලය ඔස්සේ වීඩියෝවක් නිකුත් කරමින් ඒ මහතා මෙම චෝදනා... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
How Sri Lanka Landed in a Political and Economic Crisis and What It Means
Sri Lanka’s street protests over soaring inflation and lengthy power cuts have shaken President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s hold on power, with government ministers resigning while the opposition called for fresh elections in the South Asian nation. The political turmoil is complicating efforts to manage the island’s foreign exchange crisis and secure more funds to keep its tourism-reliant economy running, having already been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. 1. How did the crisis start? Rajapaksa carried out populist tax cuts in late 2019, reducing revenues just months before the pandemic devastated the economy, with international... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
US inflation hits 40-year high of 8.5%
Consumer prices in the US surged by 8.5% in March, the fastest pace since 1981. The inflation spike was fuelled by a 32% jump in energy costs, linked to Russia's war in Ukraine. Many American consumers are struggling to keep up with the price rises. Also in the show - Emmanuel Macron appears to waver on his pledge to raise France's retirement age to 65, and Sri Lanka enters default as its economic crisis deepens. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
A.P. will take lessons from Sri Lanka on organic farming: Minister
It will not be imposed on farmers but the choice will be left to them: Minister K. Govardhan Reddy Environment-friendly organic farming will be promoted in the State to ensure premium price for the farm produce, Agriculture Minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy said, adding: “However, the switch to organic farming will not be a sudden one as in Sri Lanka that has been plunged into an economic crisis.” Enough precautionary steps would be taken based on the bad experience of Sri Lanka, where the ban on chemical fertilisers became one of the reasons for an unprecedented economic... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
China says doing ’utmost’ to help debt-ridden Sri Lanka
China on Tuesday reiterated that it is doing its ''utmost'' to provide assistance to debt-ridden Sri Lanka. Asked about the reported request of Sri Lanka to China for monetary help to tide over the present crisis, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Tuesday reiterated his ministry's previous remarks that China has been doing its utmost for Sri Lanka and will continue to do so. ''Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Sri Lanka, the two countries have lent mutual support and understanding to each other,'' Zhao told... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
පාස්කු ප්‍රහාරයට හේතු කියමින් සහරාන් පටිගත කළ වීඩියෝවක් එළියට (වීඩියෝ)
පාස්කු ප්‍රහාරයට පෙර සහරාන් හෂීම් ඇතුළු කණ්ඩායම විසින් පටිගත කරන ලද එම ප්‍රහාර එල්ල කිරීමට හේතු දැක්වෙන වීඩීයෝවක් අද මාධ්‍ය වෙත නිකුත් කරනු ලැබුවා. https://youtu.be/ZSW0n30pz7Q අද පැවති ප්‍රවෘත්ති සාකච්ඡාවකට එක්වෙමින් ආරක්ෂක ලේකම්වරයා කියා සිටියේ පාස්කු ඉරු දින ත්‍රස්ත ප්‍රහාරය සම්බන්ධයෙන් අත්අඩංගුවට ගත් පුද්ගලයින් 735 දෙනෙකු අතරින් 196 දෙනෙකු රක්ෂිත බන්ධනාගාර ගත කර ඇති බවයි.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
735 arrested so far over Easter Sunday attacks - Defence Secretary
Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne says that a total of 735 persons have been taken into custody so far over the Easter Sunday attacks. He said 27 cases have been filed against 79 of them under 25,653 charges. The Defence Secretary revealed this during a press briefing held today at the Department of Government Information to brief the media on the progress of investigations into the terrorist attacks. The Defence Secretary stated that various individuals are making various statements regarding the Easter Sunday attacks and that as responsible public officials it... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
Rice imported under the Indian credit line reaches the country
The first consignment of 11,000 tonnes of rice from a total of 40,000 metric tonnes imported under the Indian loan scheme targeting the Sinhala and Tamil New Year arrived today (12). This includes 7,000 tons of Nadu, 2,000 tons of Samba & 2,000 tons of raw rice. Accordingly, a kilo of Samba rice will be sold at Rs. 130 / =, Nadu rice at Rs. 110 / = and a kilo of raw rice at Rs. 110 / = through Lanka Sathosa outlets and Co-operatives island wide. Another consignment of rice... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/04/22)
Ranil Wickremasinghe's crimes against Sri Lanka and its people for forty years
Recently Ranil has been going around the country doing Pooja's and celebrating his 40 years in politics. As far as I can see he was a miserable failure as a politician. It was like 40 years of mayhem. He failed to win elections 29 times, tried to win in 2010 with Sarath Fonseka in front and failed. Then in 2014 he and CBK started a campaign of lies via social media against incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa with funding from foreign NGOs. He promised cars for all, WiFi for the youth and free cell phones. Our... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
Don’t Go Gota - විසඳුම Xi Jinpin ය.
ගවයා පූජනීය වස්තුවකි. ඉන්දියානුවන් ගරු බුහුමන් කරයි. සරසයි. වඳියි. ගස් පර්වත ගෞරවණිය පුජණිය වස්තු බවට හරවා අපිත් බිම පෙරලි පෙරලී වඳින්නෙමු. ජපානයේ ආචාරය දෙපාර්ශවයම ඔලුව සමාන දුරක් පහත් කිරීම පමණි. ආචාරයට සමාචාරයය. කිසිම ගවයකු තවකෙකුට වඩා උසස් හෝ පහත් නැත. ඇඳ සිටින ඇඳුමින් කෙනෙකු උසස් හෝ පහත වන්නේ නැත. ගවයින්... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
හොරු එලවන්න ආ මිලියනයේ විරෝධතාකරුවෝ ආධාර මුදල් තරගෙට කොල්ලකති.. සන්නස්ගල එලිපිට බැණවදී..
ජනාධිපතිවරයාට ධුරයෙන් ඉල්ලා අස්වන ලෙස බල කරමින් ජනාධිපති ලේකම් කාර්යාලය අසළ විරෝධතාවයේ යෙදෙන විරෝධතාකරුවන් අතර ආධාර මුදල් සම්බන්ධයෙන් ගැටලූකාරී තත්ත්වයක් ඇතිවී තිබේ. මෙම මිලියනයේ විරෝධතාවයට ආධාර සදහා විදේශයන් මගින් ලැබෙන මුදල් යූ ටියුබ් ක‍්‍රියාකරුවන් විසින් වංචනික ආකාරයෙන් භාවිතා කරන්නේ යැයි ඔවුන් එකිනෙකා චෝදනා කරමින් සිටිති. විරෝධතාවයේ ප්රමුඛ සාමාජිකයෙක් වන උපුල් ශාන්ත සන්නස්ගල මහතා ද තම සමාජ ජාල ගිණුමේ එම තත්ත්වය අවවාදාත්මකව සටමනක් පල කර ඇති අතර පසුව එය ඉවත් කර තිබේ. ඇතැම් යූටියුබ්කරුවන් දන්සැල් මුවාවෙන් දන්සැල් මංකොල්ල කන බවටද සන්නස්ගල විසින් චෝදනා කර තිබේ. යූ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
සිංහල - දෙමළ අලුත් අවුරුදු පණිවුඩය
ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයන්ගේ ප්‍රෞඩ උරුමයක් වන සිංහල හා දෙමළ අලුත් අවුරුදු උදාව නිමිත්තෙන් සුභාශිංසන පළ කරනුයේ ඉමහත් සතුටිනි. දුක්ඛ දෝමනස්සයන් පහ කොට සතුට ළඟාවීමේ අපේක්ෂාව සංකේතවත් වන සිංහල හා දෙමළ අලුත් අවුරුද්ද අප සියලු දෙනාගේ මහා සංස්කෘතික මංගල්‍යයයි. කෘෂිකර්මය පදනම් කරගත් ඓතිහාසික සමාජ සංස්කෘතික වටිනාකම් පරපුරෙන් පරපුරට දායාද වන අලුත් අවුරුදු උත්සවය සිංහල දෙමළ ජනතාවගේ අතීත සබැඳියාව සිහිගන්වයි. නැකත් චාරිත්‍රයන්ට මුල් තැන දෙමින් අප සියලු දෙනාගේ අපේක්ෂාව අලුත් අවුරුද්දේ යහපත් බලාපොරොත්තු ඉටුකර ගැනීමයි. පවතින දුෂ්කර කාලය පසුකර යෑමට වුවද අප සියලු දෙනා එක්ව,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
Special statement by the Honorable Prime Minister regarding the current situation.
Friends and citizens of Sri Lanka. I speak to you at a crucial time as we grapple with many challenges that have overcome our people. These challenges are not new to me having overseen the journey our nation has undertaken in my fifty plus years of politics. Friends, I am sure by now that you are very aware of the deep economic crisis that has befallen our country following the battle we fought, to keep our citizens safe from the Coronavirus pandemic. Although we ensured the safety of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
වර්තමානයේ රටේ උද්ගතවී ඇති තත්ත්වය පිළිබඳව ගරු අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාගේ විශේෂ ප්‍රකාශය
මිත්‍රවරුණි, අපේ රටේ ඉතාම තීරණාත්මක මොහොතක ඔබ අමතන්නට මට සිදුව තිබෙනවා. මගේ පනස් වසරකට අධික දේශපාලන ජීවිතය තුළ ඉතාම තීරණාත්මක දේශපාලන සන්ධිස්ථාන රාශියක් පසුකර තිබෙන බව මම කියන්න ඕනෑ. මිත්‍රවරුණි, කොරෝනා වසංගතයෙන් පස්සේ අපිට මුහුණ දෙන්න සිදුවුණු ආර්ථික ප්‍රශ්නය අපේ රටේ ජනතාව හොඳින් තේරුම් අරගෙන තිබෙන බව මම විශ්වාස කරනවා. මේ වසංගතයෙන් ජනතාවගේ ජීවිත බේරා ගන්න අපට පුළුවන් වුණත් දැන් අපේ රට විශාල ආගාධයකට ලක්වෙමින් තිබෙන හැටි අපට දැනෙනවා. රට වසා තැබීමත් එක්ක විදේශ විනිමය එන මාර්ග ඇහිරුණ හැටිත්, විදේශ සංචිත සිඳී ගිය හැටිත් මම අමුතුවෙන් කියන්න ඕනෑ නෑ.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
Cochin port benefits as shipping lines skip Colombo
The economical and political turmoil in Colombo coupled with the congestion at the Colombo port has come as a blessing for ports in south India, especially the International Container Transshipment Facility (ICTT), Vallarpadam, Kochi, where the cargo traffic has increased by over 62% in March with the mother vessels calling at Cochin port. According to the statistics available with the Cochin port, the transshipment volume at the ICTT has increased to 13,609 TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalent unit) in March 2022 compared to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
Every second you protest, we are losing vital dollars: MR
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today said that every second the youth protested, the country was losing vital dollars and the government would take all possible measures to address the current issues since the other parties refused to accept the request for an all party government. In his televised address to the nation, the Prime Minister said his government ended the war that plagued the country for 30 years , and he never intended to leave people suffering in queues to purchase gas and fuel . He said he is sensitive to the sufferings... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
Curse upon SL as a result of action taken by certain groups who set people against each other for power
Even certain groups from the neighboring countries have begun intervening in the affairs of Sri Lanka today, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said over the weekend. " A curse is upon Sri Lanka as a result of action taken by certain groups who had set people against each other to come into power, Some politicians used the Easter Sunday attacks to come into power. They failed to implement most of the recommendations made by the Presidential commission which proved the attacks on April 2019. They are hiding those who were really... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
Rebel SLPP MPs say no to no-confidence
The rebel Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs, which includes former Ministers Vasudeva Nanayakkara and Wimal Weerawansa, have decided not to support the no-confidence motion against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Nanayakkara told Daily Mirror that they had advised the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya not to go ahead with the no-confidence motion against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He said that they feel a no-confidence on the President will not be appropriate at this time. Instead, Nanayakkara says they will push for a 21st Amendment to be presented to Parliament to curtail the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
Prime Minister’s special statement on Sri Lanka’s economic crisis
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa says although an invitation was extended to all parties to come forward in unity to address the current crisis situation, they have not stepped forward. This is not a time to prioritize party affiliations over the resurrection of the country’s economy, he said, delivering a special televised statement today on the country’s economic situation. https://youtu.be/ove7OdWdih0 “I understand the fatigue of the people who have been queuing for days in the fuel queues and empathize with the pain of our citizens queuing up for gas.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
India’s ED attaches assets of Indians working to ‘revive’ LTTE
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India on Monday said it has attached assets worth INR 359 million of four Indians allegedly involved in drugs and arms smuggling as part of a plan to ‘revive’ the banned Sri Lankan terror group LTTE that was militarily defeated in 2009. The accused are being probed by the federal agency in a case linked to the seizure of 300 kgs of heroin, arms and ammunition from a Sri Lankan boat that was intercepted by the Coast Guard in Indian waters on March 18 last year, Indian media reported.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
CPC halts pumping fuel into portable containers for three days
https://youtu.be/eyciumMpUY0 The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) says that fuel will not be pumped into canisters, barrels and other portable containers at CEYPETCO filling stations on April 12, 13 and 14. CPC Chairman Sumith Wijesinghe said that a decision was taken to suspend issuing fuel to cans and such as a preliminary step as there will be no scheduled power cuts in the country for three days. Accordingly, pumping fuel into canisters and barrels will be halted within the next three days starting from tomorrow, he told reporters in... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
Sri Lankan rupee continues to slide as dollar rate hits Rs. 330
Several leading licensed commercial banks in Sri Lanka have today declared their selling rate of the US Dollar at Rs. 330. Meanwhile the buying price of the dollar has been declared at Rs. 320. Accordingly, the following selling rates of the USD had been listed by commercial banks: Bank of Ceylon – Rs. 330.00 People’s Bank – Rs. 329.99 Sampath Bank – Rs. 330.00 Hatton National Bank – Rs. 330.00 National Development Bank – Rs. 320.00 DFCC Bank – Rs.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
PROPOSAL for a NEW POLITICAL SYSTEM for SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka is facing a decisive period in its democratic history. It requires all to relook at how government & governance is structured & look for ways we can adopt a system beneficial to us. PRESIDENT will be the Head of State & head of Parliament. There will be no Prime Minister. Instead of MPs getting elected & given portfolios, the proposed new system will have Subject Ministries to which candidates can come forward to contest & be elected based on their knowledge & expertise. There is no party politics... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
Story of South Asian countries: ‘Bangladesh’ a ‘miracle story’ while Sri Lanka and Pakistan ‘disaster tales’
The South Asian Island nation of Sri Lanka is currently going through an extreme economic crisis. Foreign exchange reserves have fallen so low that school examinations have been closed indefinitely due to a lack of imported paper. In addition to cooking gas, there has been a shortage of kerosene or petrol. Blackout has started due to a lack of electricity. The situation is so dire that due to inflation, high unemployment, and shortages of almost all necessities, many Sri Lankans are fleeing their country in the hope of a better life abroad.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
Notes for a Sincerity Project: Elections, electors and elected
There are calls, obviously from oppositional elements, for snap elections. There are of course constitutional provisions for holding parliamentary elections and those who make such demands cannot be ignorant about them. It’s therefore empty rhetoric. There are elections that have not been held, though, which not many seem to be concerned about. Yes, even the wide-eyed democracy advocates who lose their voices when their political masters/friends are in power, have been pretty silent about provincial council elections. The reconciliation-now-through-federalism (or some diluted form or else as it is but sugar-coated) haven’t whined either;... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/04/22)
Easter Sunday Attacks: negligence and the negligent
Someone robs a bank. Now, obviously, it is not always the case that those who carry out such heists do all the planning themselves. The brains prefer not to get their hands dirtied. Also, in case things go wrong, they would obviously want the out of ‘not being involved,’ which of course would be tough if they were caught with their hands in the kitty. It is the same with terrorists and terrorism. The leaders let others handle the doing and dying.There’s a difference though. While all organisations, right and left, fundamentalist or otherwise, can be... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
ජාතික සංවිධාන යන මග ඔස්සේ…
ජාතික සංවිධානය යනු කුමක්ද? විජාතික පණ්ඩිතයන් නිතරම අසන ප්‍රශ්නයක්! වචනාර්ථයෙන් ගත්විට එයට යම් නිශ්චිත තේරුමක් පැවතියද එහි නියම අර්ථ දැක්වීම යම්කිසි පරාසයක් තුළ විහිදෙයි. අද කාලයේ සමහර ජාතික සංවිධාන වල සිටින පුද්ගලයන්ගේ කියුම් කෙරුම් අනුව නම් ජාතික සංවිධාන වල ස්වභාවය විග්‍රහ කර ගැනීම තරමක් අපහසු බවයි මාගේ හැඟීම. නම් වලින් සඳහන් කළ හැකි ජාතික සංවිධාන 120 ක් පමණ පැවතෙන බව පසුගියදා කැලණියේ ශ්‍රී ප්‍රඥානන්ද ධර්මායතනයේ දී පැවැති රැස්වීමකදී සඳහන් වුණි. එයින්ද 10-15 ක් පමණ කිසි යම් ක්‍රියාකාරී මට්ටමකින් පවතින බවද වැඩිදුරටත් සඳහන් වුනි. එජාප- ජවිපෙ වැනි පක්ෂ තම හුදු දේශපාලන වාසිය තකාම පමණක්... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
POLITICS IN SRI LANKA Part 3 A
J.R.Jayewardene came from an elite family. He was the eldest of twelve children of Justice Eugene Wilfred Jayewardene KC, a prominent lawyer and Agnes Helen Don Philip Wijewardena daughter of Tudugalage Muhandiram Don Philip Wijewardena, a wealthy merchant. He was looked after by a Scottish nurse when a child. When he entered politics, he converted from Christianity (Anglican) to Buddhism and adopted the national dress as his formal attire. JR started his political career by getting elected to the Colombo Municipal Council from the New Bazaar Ward in 1940. In 1943 he became a... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
Striving in the Way of God, During Ramadan and Beyond & Launch of 313 Companions Website.
(Given below is an excerpt of the Friday Sermon delivered by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Supreme Head of the world-wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam, on 8th April, 2022, at ‘Masjid Mubarak’, Islamabad, Tilford, U.K. gave a discourse on Striving in the Way of God, During Ramadan and Beyond & Launch of 313 Companions Website. Ahmadiyya Head (Khalifa) His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah strengthen his hands) after reciting Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, recited the following verse of the Holy Qur’an: ‘And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: “I... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
ඔබට පුතේ මගක් නැතේ, මේ මග මිස යමන් පුතේ(හෙළ ගැඹුරුය් ඉහල බලන් යමන් පුතේ)
I am trying to restructure my points about the current situation in Sri Lanka. Intelligent people will never believe the story that one family robbed all the wealth of a country. It is the fault of the politicians for not educating the people of the real world. People worked hard during the colonial period and when they got freedom, they thought of having easy lives. Sri Lanaka did not have to fight for independence. People of India rallied behind Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 to fight against the British, mainly by refusing to buy... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
Who is Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe? Sri Lanka’s new Central Bank Governor
Colombo, April 9 (NewsWire) – Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe assumed duties as the 17th Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) today. According to the CBSL, Dr. Weerasinghe is a career central banker, with extensive experience in Monetary and Exchange Rate Policy. Dr. Weerasinghe was promoted as Deputy Governor on 27 September 2011 while he was serving as an Alternate Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund and assumed office as Deputy Governor of the CBSL on 01 September 2012. Dr. Weerasinghe holds a Ph.D. and Master’s Degree in Economics... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
India helped the most, no new Chinese investment: Sri Lanka's ex PM on financial crisis
It (economic crisis) never happened in our time...when our government was here there were no queues of the people to buy the basic necessities, Sri Lanka's ex PM said Former Prime minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesingheon Sunday blamed the incumbent government of plunging the country into a deep economic and political crisis. Wickremesingheon also pointed out, the government is "incompetent in dealing with the financial challenges". He further praised India for its maximum support during the crisis period. He also stated that no Chinese investment under this government has come to the country.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
IMF Will Meet Sri Lanka on Possible Loan as Street Protests Grow
(Bloomberg) -- The International Monetary Fund said it will hold discussions with senior Sri Lankan policymakers in the “coming days and weeks” about a possible support program to help the island nation overcome an economic crisis that’s spiraled into political turmoil and daily street protests. “We received a request for an IMF-supported program from the authorities, and have started technical-level engagement with teams at the ministry of finance and the central bank,” Masahiro Nozaki, the IMF’s mission chief for Sri Lanka, said in a statement. “We commit to assisting Sri... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
No-confidence motion against Sri Lankan President likely on April 19
NEW DELHI: Amid the severe economic crisis, extreme shortage of essentials, and street protests, the Sri Lankan Parliament is likely to reconvene between April 19 to 22 in a bid to bring about a no-confidence motion against President Gotabaya Rajapaksha. "We have called a meeting with all opposition leaders and will take a day a final decision soon,’’ said Sri Lankan opposition leader, Sajith Premadasa. Meanwhile, India has sent a consignment of food and vegetables to Sri Lanka today, in its bid to continue assisting the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
Hospitals run out of endotracheal tubes for new-borns: Neonatologist
All paediatricians and neonatologists in the country are in dilemma due to the absence of Endotracheal (ETT) Tubes for the ventilation of new-born babies, infants and children, Castle Street Teaching Hospital Consultant Neonatologist Dr. L.P.C. Saman Kumara said. He said it will be very soon all hospitals will run out of all their stocks of ETTs, and the hospitals have come to the situation where they are re-using the endotracheal tubes for ventilating new born babies, which is totally unacceptable. Due to the economic and political crisis in the country,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
Special official appointed to coordinate with stakeholders to maintain healthcare services
The Director General of Health Services Dr Asela Gunawardena has appointed an official coordinator to maintain uninterrupted healthcare services and facilitate medicinal and equipment donations to Sri Lanka. Accordingly, Director Medical Technology Services at Health Ministry Dr. Anver Hamdani has been appointed as the coordinating officer on behalf of Ministry of Health to coordinate, facilitate and liaise with relevant stakeholders. The relevant official is expected to coordinate within relevant ministries and the private sector organizations, donor agencies, provincial and regional health authorities and professional colleges to maintain uninterrupted service provision... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
CBSL governor’s statement on appointed Monetary Board members
Appointed members of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank President’s Counsel Sanjeewa Jayawardena and Dr. Ranee Jayamaha have agreed to continue to serve in their positions. New Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe stated this in a statement issued today (April 10). “As the newly incumbent Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), I am delighted that Mr. Sanjeeva Jayawardena, President’s Counsel and Dr. (Mrs.) Ranee Jayamaha, appointed members of the Monetary Board, have acceded to continue to serve on the Monetary Board.” He... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
‘’SMALL CLAIM COURTS TO BE SET UP TO COMBAT LAWS DELAYS IN SRI LANKA ?’’
New Procedure with small claim courts It is indeed to the credit to then Minister of Justice and the committee appointed to draft laws headed by an Appeal Court Judge and the learned and efficient committee members that they have prepared the draft to be forwarded to the Law Commission and the Legal Draftsman Department for final touches in such a short space of time. Law commissions... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/04/22)
Economic emergency" - several key measures to be implemented (Video)
The Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe stated that One of the ways to overcome the current crisis situation is to allow the Central Bank to function independently. He was speaking at a special media briefing on 'Economic Crisis Emergency' held last night (08). He also stated that it does not want unnecessary political interference in any way to curb inflation. The Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe stated the following during the discussion. "I want to make decisions without any political influence.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/04/22)
Imports during this period should be based on priority requirements - CSBL governor
Sri Lanka's central bank doubled its key interest rates on Friday, raising each by an unprecedented 700 basis points to tame inflation that has soared due to crippling shortages of basic goods driven by a devastating economic crisis. "The rate hike will give a strong signal to investors and markets that we are coming out of this as soon as possible," governor P. Nandalal Weerasinghe said at a post-policy decision briefing. Weerasinghe said that he wanted to run the central bank independently without any external influence and that he had been... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/04/22)
Fuel and tax to be increased - Ali Sabry and team to Washington
Finance Minister Ali Sabry says he and a delegation including the Central Bank Governor and the Finance Minister Secretary along a team of technical experts will leave for Washington on the 18th to hold talks with the International Monetary Fund. The Minister said that the selection of financial and legal consultants for the government's international debt restructuring program is expected to be completed within the next 21 days. Ali Sabry said that fuel prices and taxes would be increased in the next six months and that reforms related to loss-making state... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/04/22)
Sri Lanka to seek $3 billion in 6 months to stave off crisis: Finance minister
Sri Lanka will need about $3 billion in external assistance in the next six months to help restore supplies of essential items including fuel and medicine, according to finance minister as reported by Reuters on Saturday. The nation has been hard hit by prolonged power cuts and shortages which have drawn protesters out on to the streets. "It's a Herculean task," Finance Minister Ali Sabry said in his first interview since taking office this week, referring to finding $3 billion in bridge financing as the country readies for negotiations with the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/04/22)
Govt seeks financial advisors, legal consultants on external debt sustainability managing
The Sri Lanka government, through the Finance Ministry, has published Request for Proposals (RfPs) from interested parties or agencies for the appointment of financial advisors and legal consultants for managing its external debt sustainability. The scope of work of financial advisors includes evaluation of the debt stock in the background of maintaining sound macroeconomic fundamentals, advising the government on the strategies in consultation with relevant stakeholders, evaluating the current fiscal position of the government and highlighting key areas to be focused on in negotiations. They will also be designing a mechanism and processes to achieve the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/04/22)
“Unprofessional & unethical”: Legal officers at AG’s Dept condemn lawyers’ protest
The Legal Officers’ Association of the Attorney General’s Department has condemned what it called the “unprofessional and unethical” conduct of a group of attorneys-at-law who recently staged a protest. A large group of lawyers staged a protest in front of the Attorney General’s Department on April 05, taking issue with the Attorney General’s move to withdraw certain lawsuits and the soaring prices of commodities that have gravely affected the day-to-day lives of the general public. In a statement issued on Friday (April 08), the association said it is gravely concerned by the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/04/22)
’’I will not leave Sri Lanka and will answer all allegations’’ - Cabraal
Ajith Nivard Cabraal, former Central Bank Governor who resigned from his post earlier this week, said he will not leave Sri Lanka and will instead answer all allegations leveled at him by various parties. Following rumors that Cabraal had left the country soon after he resigned as the CBSL Governor, Cabraal told Daily Mirror that, unlike certain other Governors, he will not leave. "Further as everyone in this country knows, I have always dealt with malicious and hateful allegations in a calm, dignified and professional manner, and I... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/04/22)
CB sends shockwaves with 700bps policy rate hike to arrest inflation
CB says “substantial policy response is imperative” to address inflationary pressures and stabilise exchange rateCB’s SDFR and SLFR now stand at 13.50% and 14.50%, respectivelyHowever, analysts fear policy rate move could result in mass-scale defaults and even push economy towards a recession The Monetary Board of the Central Bank under the newly-appointed Governor Dr. Nanadalal Weerasinghe yesterday delivered a whopping 700 basis point policy rate hike, though many expected a milder hike in the range of 200 to 300 basis points. Dr. Nanadalal Weerasinghe “The Monetary Board of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/04/22)
’’We want Gota’’ protest underway in Colombo
Several supporters of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa are presently conducting a rally in Kollupitiya carrying slogans "We want Gota" against the "Go Home Gota" protests which are presently underway in several areas. The protestors are making their way towards the Presidential Secretariat in Kollupitiya carrying the national flag and calling out "We want Gota". Security has been heightened in the area. https://youtu.be/p1cfYyovLpg... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/04/22)
President did not offer me Finance portfolio, only ministers, interlocutors did - Harsha
In response to reports about the offer of the Finance Ministry portfolio, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Dr. Harsha de Silva said no offer had come from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa but from a number of senior ministers and various interlocutors on his behalf. He said he is ready to take on the responsibility but people across the country wants the President to step down . “We are ready to take on the responsibility and get this country out of this mess. We certainly can do it. But people across this... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/04/22)
After over 50 years, Sri Lanka has not provided professional salesmanship!
Returning after a long absence, so sad to see the current state of Sri Lanka. Living on borrowed funds from China to fast-track, the development of the lovely island is now facing monumental repercussions of payback. What happened to the development of agriculture for domestic consumption? Why have the exports dwindled? Where are the salesmen gone? After over 50 years, Sri Lanka has not provided professional salesmanship! Express Your Opinion - Read What Others Say!The Independent Interactive Voice of Sri Lanka on the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
මහ බැන්කුව මුදල් අච්චුගැහැව්වාද?
https://www.facebook.com/jagath.priya/videos/502863268214768... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
මම කතා කරන්නේ මුදල් ඇමති විදිහට - මේ මගේ දේශපාලනයේ අවසාන වසර දෙක වෙයි
https://youtu.be/xbajazpBbds... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
I am still the Finance Minister: Ali Sabri
https://youtu.be/l6jl5huLjuE I was compelled to revoke my resignation as the Finance Minister as no one was willing to take over the ministry, Minister Ali Sabry told Parliament today. “No one was willing to take over the ministry as everyone is feared to face the criticism given the current precarious situation. I am willing to remain as the Minister of Finance and do the needful in order to save the country’s economy no matter what challenges I might have to face,” he said. “I am aware that... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
CBSL should be allowed to function independently, new governor says
One of the ways to overcome the current crisis situation is to allow the Central Bank to function independently, the newly-appointed governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe says. The CBSL Governor stated this addressing the media for the first time this evening after assuming duties in his new position. https://youtu.be/jhXGvfh31FI He also pledged to work with transparency and truthfulness. Speaking further, Dr. Weerasinghe said the Monetary Board of the Central Bank has decided to increase the policy interest rates by 700 basis points in order to offset the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
Interest rates INCREASED - Monetary Policy Review: No. 03 – April 2022
Monetary Policy Review: No. 03 – April 2022<br />The Central Bank of Sri Lanka Significantly Tightens its Monetary Policy Stance to Stabilise the Economy The Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, at its meeting held on 08 April 2022, decided to increase the Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) of the Central Bank by 700 basis points to 13.50 per cent and 14.50 per cent, respectively, effective from the close of business on 08 April 2022. The Board, having noted the inflationary pressures that could further intensify in the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
I believe I can put the economy back on track - Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe
The Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe says that technical discussions have been initiated with the International Monetary Fund and steps have been taken to expedite its process from tonight (08). A virtual meeting has been requested for 11th April with IMF. The meeting can be held even without the Finance Minister since a Governor and a Secretary to the Finance Ministry has been appointed. Letter of Intent to IMF is to be presented, it will follow the technical process. He further stated that stability and confidence in the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
CBSL has the potential and the strength to steer the country's economy (Video)
The new Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe says that he believes that the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has the potential and the strength to steer the country's economy in the correct direction. https://youtu.be/nsF5voY6OoY... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
Controversial New Theory Says Human Consciousness Is ... Electromagnetic?
It may sound crazy, but it's based on science. KATERYNA KOVARZHGETTY IMAGES A molecular geneticist at the University of Surrey says the human "mind" is electromagnetic.Mind-body dualism is one of philosophy's oldest questions, boosted this time by science.Is the answer as simple as our brains forming an electromagnetic "cloud" during our lives? Could the thorny question of human consciousness be answered by simple electromagnetic waves? One improbably dualist scientist believes so, and he suggests the human mind is a combination of physical... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
SHUTDOWN THE ZOOS IN SRI LANKA - GIVE FREEDOM TO CAGED ANIMALS.
Minister-in-Charge,Department of National Zoological Gardens,Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha,DehiwalaHon Minister, SHUTDOWN THE ZOOS IN SRI LANKA - GIVE FREEDOM TO CAGED ANIMALS Animals are made to serve a life sentence in miserable conditions in zoos without havingcommitted a single crime. Had any human being been placed in that situation he or she wouldbecome a cause célèbre around the world. We price the freedom of fellow humans anddisregard the claims for freedom of other sentient beings. Animals are sentient beings and like humans they... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
Scientists Finally Have Clues About What We See When We Die
For the very first time, scientists have recorded the brain waves of a dying person.The recordings indicate that there could be some truth to the statement “my life flashed before my eyes” when someone has a near-death experience.The findings, which have been published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, are not comprehensive because the patient had also suffered brain injuries. For the first time ever, we’ve caught a glimpse of what human brain waves look like in a dying person.https://www.dianomi.com/smartads.epl?id=3533 After a fall, an 87-year-old male went to the emergency room and rapidly deteriorated while hooked up to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
CONCEPT OF AN APPROACH TO ENCOURAGE EXPAT CONTRIBUTION TO SECURING AND IMPROVING FOREIGN RESERVES WITH EARNED FOREIGN CURRENCY ACCOUNTS AS NON-RESIDENT SRI LANKANS (With or without Dual Citizenship)
I. Purpose: To examine all avenues available to find appropriate avenues to address the current foreign reserves crisis with the help of a ready resource of foreign earners as expats for a long-term relationship beneficial to the country and individuals who are a strength that has not been tapped while many possibilities have been overlooked or not explored. II. Problem to address: The current situation with foreign reserves of Sri Lanka is in dire straits. There are options that can be considered beyond borrowing with long term burden... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
South Asia's Arab Spring: Protests Amid Hybrid Economic War in Pakistan and Sri Lanka
The writer, Dr Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake, is a Sociocultural and Medical Anthropologist based in Colombo. Her latest publication is 'Multi-religiosity on Contemporary Sri Lanka: Innovation, Shared Spaces, Contestation". (Routledge 2022) South Asia's Arab Spring is here, amid global Cold War tensions and slow tectonic shifts in power and wealth east, to Asia and the Indian Ocean Region, hastened and heightened by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. As Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 1, western pressure mounted with almost simultaneous visits from various British, European... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
බයිඩන් සහ Nato ද මෙයට වග කිව යුතුයි
'ඉවසලා ඉවසලා බැරිම තැන එතනයි ඉවසිය යුතුම තැන' - සිංහල වහරේ එන මෙම කදිම උවදෙස පුටින් නොදැන සිටියා විය හැකියි. නැත්නම්, 24 පෙබරවාරි 2022 දා යුක්රේනයට විරුද්ධව යුධ ප්‍රකාශ කිරීමට තරම් ඔහු අමන නොවනු ඇත. තමන්ට දිනන්න බැරි යුද්ධයකට ප්‍රවේශ වන්නේ මෝඩයෙකි. සාමාන්‍යයෙන් දක්ෂයෙක් වන පුටින් මේ අවස්ථාවේ ඉතා මෝඩ තීරණයක් ගත්තේය. පුටින්ට හරි දේ කියා දෙන්න උපදේශකවරයෙක් සිටියේ නැත. 'උඩින්ම ඉන්න නායකයා හැමදාම තනියි' යන පඬි වදනක් ඇත. 1962 නේරු මෝඩයෙක් ලෙස චීනයට විරුද්ධව යුධ ප්‍රකාශ කර අන්ත පරාජයක් අත් පත් කර ගත්තේය. එම යුද්ධයෙන් ඉන්දියානු භටයන් 1500 නිකරුනේ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
Sustainable concept for wood-based textile fibres
The 2022 Marcus Wallenberg Prize is awarded to Professor Ilkka Kilpeläinen and Professor Herbert Sixta for the development and use of novel ionic liquids to process wood biomass into high-performance textile fibres. The future demand for textile fibres is growing due to global population growth. Production of cotton, the predominantly used cellulose fibre for textiles, is not expected to keep up with the demand. Therefore, man-made cellulose fibres would be an excellent complement for cotton as these fibres have similar properties. The main processes to produce man-made cellulose textile fibres are the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
Close down the Dehiwala Zoo
Close down the Dehiwala Zoo - wrongful imprisonment of innocent animals for life who have done no wrong and away from their natural habitat, is a blot on our moral conscience. Animals cannot speak for themselves. We have to give Voice for the Voiceless. That is the test of our humanity and moral strength. As much as we humans love freedom and liberty. So do animals. They are sentient beings. Let us all work together to break their chains. Join us in this great revolution to give freedom to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
අප්‍රේල් 6 (ඊයේ) සල්ලි අච්චු ගැහිල්ල රු. බිලියන 119.08 යි
මුදල් ඇමති, මුදල් ලේකම්, මහ බැංකු අධිපති නැති රටේ අච්චු ගැසිල්ල දිගටම හිටපු ආණ්ඩුකාර කීර්ති තෙන්නකෝන් කියයි 2022 අප්‍රේල් 6 (ඊයේ දිනයේ) පමණක් ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව රු. බිලියන 119.08 ක මුදලක් අච්චු ගසා ඇත. කැබිනට් බලතල සහිත මහ බැංකු අධිපති ධූරයක් ස්ථාපනය කර එයට අජිත් නිවාඩ් කබ්රාල් පත් කිරීමෙන් පසුව අච්චු ගැසූ මුදල රු. ලක්ෂ 4,434,700 (රු.බිලියන 443.47) කි. මුදල් ඇමති, මුදල් ලේකම්, මහ බැංකු අධිපති අතුළු රාජ්ය මුදල් සම්බන්ධයෙන් සියලුම නිලධාරීන් නොමැති වුවත් රජය අඛණ්ඩව මුදල්... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
The road to Ukraine started with 1999’s Kosovo War
Supporters of NATO’s war on Yugoslavia have no right to talk about law, sovereignty or borders Nebojsa Malic is a Serbian-American journalist, blogger and translator, who wrote a regular column for Antiwar.com from 2000 to 2015, and is now senior writer at RT.
NebojsaMalic
TheNebulator The remains of a building that was bombed by NATO in 1999 in Belgrade, Serbia. © Pierre Crom / Getty Images Pretty much everyone who has spent the past month moralizing about the sanctity of borders, sovereignty of countries,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
MSM's Bucha Tall Tale
“The Bucha Massacre” has now become the driving force for the propaganda push for even more NATO involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. Yet the claim that this is a Russian war crime is so patently false that a rational observer can only be left astounded by the combination of bare-faced nerve and slapdash incompetence displayed by the media outlets and politicians pushing this disgusting smear. The latest effort of the Western media to deny Russian rebuttals is the claim that satellite photos show the bodies were there... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
Indian businessman in Sri Lanka helping people cope with economic crisis
Colombo (Sri Lanka), Apr 08 (ANI): As Sri Lanka is reeling under an economic crisis, Indian businessman in the island nation is taking initiatives under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to help the people cope with the current situation.Sanjay Baid, Managing Director at a diamond cutting unit in Sri Lanka, said that he is confident that the country will bounce back with a renewed vigour. Baid, who came to Sri Lanka in 1999 and founded a diamond cutting unit, said that he had seen many ups and down in the country."I have seen war and economic crisis... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
Lankan president asks experts to plan debt restructure
Forex reserves drop to $1.93b People stand in a queue to buy liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders in Rathgama, Sri Lanka on March 27. Scarce supplies of food and fuel, along with record inflation and regular blackouts, have inflicted widespread misery in the country’s most painful downturn since its independence. Photo: AFP Sri Lanka's beleaguered president has appointed an expert panel to organise a debt restructure to claw the country out of a crippling economic crisis that has sparked huge protests demanding his resignation. Scarce supplies of food... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
Is struggling Sri Lanka salvageable?
Last Sunday -- with two notable exceptions -- Sri Lanka's cabinet resigned en masse in protest against the government's handling of the worst economic crisis to hit the island in decades, which has sparked widespread rioting, unrest, and arson attacks on police property. The two men stayed put were President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, scions and brothers of the powerful Rajapaksa clan. The prime minister's son, Namal Rajapaksa, was among those who resigned, however, explaining via Twitter that the move would "help the President and PM to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
US Arrests 'Yakuza Chief' Who Sought Missiles for Myanmar, Sri Lanka Rebels
FILE - Soldiers from the rebel United Wa State Army march in the Wa State, in Panghsang, April 17, 2019. Four men were arrested in New York on April 4 and 5, 2022, for working to acquire missiles for United Wa State Army and other rebel groups. U.S. authorities said Thursday that they had arrested a Japanese yakuza organized crime leader and three Thai men who trafficked heroin and methamphetamine and tried to acquire surface-to-air missiles for rebel groups in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Takeshi Ebisawa, Sompak Rukrasaranee, Somphob Singhasiri and Suksan... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
No takers for Finance portfolio as time runs out to leave for IMF
- GR appoints high powered advisory team to advise on IMF and debt management - Bandula Gunawardena's name was proposed for Finance but he hesitates - Finance Minister, CBSL Governor, Treasury Secretary seats vacant - SL expected to be at IMF by second week of April Following the resignation of Ali Sabry as the Finance Minister in less than 24 hours, the position still remains vacant with many MPs hesitant to take it up amidst the economic mess Sri Lanka has been plunged into and the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/04/22)
Demonstrators’ demands not realistic: GL
Foreign Affairs Minister Prof. GL Peiris today pointed out that some of the demands by the demonstrators were not realistic and cannot be met and that they did not seem want a solution based on available options in keeping with the Constitution. While explainig the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka to the diplomatic corps yesterday he said, the demonstrations were not directly against the government, a political party or the ruling party but against the entire political establishment of the country and that the very foundation of the system was under criticism.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 07/04/22)
Payment made for another 37,500 MT diesel shipment
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) says that a payment of USD 52 million has been made to a Singaporean company for 37,500 metric tonnes diesel in a tanker held at Colombo Port for the last two weeks. CPC chairman Sumith Wijesinghe said that unloading of the fuel stocks will commence tomorrow (April 07). https://youtu.be/LUE2cADLygc... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 07/04/22)
Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe appointed new CBSL Governor
Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has been appointed as the new Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and Mr. K.M. Mahinda Siriwardena has been appointed as the new Secretary to the Ministry of Finance. They received their letters of appointment from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo today (07). Secretary to the President, Gamini Senarath was also present on the occasion, the President’s Media Division said. Former Senior Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Weerasinghe had arrived in the country from Australia earlier today to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 07/04/22)
SLMA urges govt to secure funding to fulfill basic needs of hospitals
The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) on Thursday said there is an acute shortage of essential medicines, reagents, equipment and consumables in government hospitals and the private healthcare sector in Sri Lanka. In a letter addressed to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the SLMA Medical Intercollegiate Committee called for urgent corrective measures for the crisis affecting the health and wellbeing of the people of Sri Lanka. The SLMA said already decisions have been made to curtail some services such as routine surgical operations and even limit the usage of available material to life-threatening illnesses. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 07/04/22)
Surcharge Tax Bill passed with amendments
The Surcharge Tax Bill has been passed in Parliament with amendments and without a vote, a short while ago. The committee stage of the Surcharge Tax Bill had taken place this morning (07). The second reading of the Surcharge Tax Bill had been scheduled for today. Last month, the Supreme Court informed Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena that the Surcharge Tax Bill can be passed with a simple majority in parliament as it is in accordance with the Constitution. The said Bill was challenged in the Supreme Court by... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 07/04/22)
Public Protests, Rajapakse Rule & Indo-US manipulations
Sri Lanka is experiencing an unprecedent state of events. Taken as a whole, there is much to analyze. Sri Lanka has seen governance pass from one colored party to another. Opportunistic politics has been the hallmark of governance of every government that has come to power. This has been the case of every government holding power since 1978 – UNP, PA, UNP, UPFA, UNFGG & now SLPP. What the people have asked for & expected from all ruling parties have proven a failure. Little can be said of the role of the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
POHOTTU AS USA’ S PROXY Part 2A
There were demonstrations at Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Dambulla, Gampaha Matara, Panadura, Ratnapura, Welimada Nuwara Eliya, and Ampara. There were protests also at Homagama, Piliyandala, Polgahawela , Ragama Minuwangoda Nittambuwa, Jaela, Kantale, Nikaweratiya and Peradeniya, The public also protested at Bogawantalawa and Deraniyagala, at Dehiattakandiya and Galnewa, at Kochichikade, and Meerigama, at Dodangoda, Gorakana, Wadduwa, Embilipitya, Karandeniya, Nagoda, and Suriyawewa and at Pannipitiya , Rajagiriya Kadawatha, Kottawa, Malabe, Modera, and Wijerama.. Within Colombo they assembled at Nelum Pokuna, Park Road, Panchikawatta , Wanathamulla, Dematagoda and Armour Street. Staff of National Hospital .Colombo had a separate... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
Curb Corruption in Sri Lanka: Action against Secretaries/Public Officials & Advisors
The subject of “corruption” is taking prominence throughout the recent protests taking place in Sri Lanka. This has led to the people claiming that they wish to reject entire 225 member Parliament. Corruptions cannot be committed by politicians on their own. They are assisted by the Secretaries, Public Officials & Advisors. The role they play in the corruptions often get unnoticed & evade public scrutiny. Let us realize that no treacherous pact/agreement or deal can proceed without the involvement of the State officials who are tasked to negotiate with their counterparts &... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
POHOTTU AS USA’ S PROXY Part 1
The public must realize that that their beloved Pohottu took over from Yahapalana only to complete the USA scenario for Sri Lanka. Pohottu is Yahapalana 2, more deadly than Yahapalana 1, because the USA is now in a mighty hurry. The US feels it must move fast and secure Sri Lanka. China is zooming ahead, Russia is coming centre stage and Diego Garcia has gone out of US control. USA observed in 2014 that if Sri Lanka continues to increase its stability in the next five years, Sri Lanka will become difficult to control.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
විදුලි බලයේ විප්ලවය
මේ අපි අත් දකින්නේ පසු කරන්නේ විදුලි බලයේ විප්ලවයයි. වේගවත් අදුරදර්ශී අනපේක්ෂිත සන්වර්දන වෑයමක ප්‍රති ඵල විපාකය. විමලසුරේන්ද්‍ර ට මිනිස්සු ලක්ෂයකට විදුලි ආලෝකය දෙන්න ඕන උනේ 1918 දීය. හිතපු සැනින් වැඩේ කෙරුනේ නැත. කැළණි ගඟ මුදුනින් පටන් ගත් ජලාශ බලාගාර පද්ධතිය හදන්න පටන් ගත්තේ 1950 ස් ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
විපක්ෂය ඉල්ලා සිටින්නේ කුමක්ද?
රට අර්බුදයකට පත්කර හමාරය. රට අර්බුදයකට තල්ලු කල අයට, රට ගොඩ ගැනීමට එක්වෙන ලෙස ජනාධිපතිතුමා ආයාචනය කරයි. මේ ආයාචනය කිසිදාක පලගන්වෙන ඉල්ලීමක් නොවේ. ඔවුන් සිදුකලේ ඔවුන්ට පැවරු ව්‍යාපෘතියකි. ඔවුන් කල යුතු ඉතිරි කොටස කුමක්දැයි තීරණය කරන්නේ ඔවුන් නොව, ඔවුනට මේ කාර්ය පැවරු හාම්පුතාලා විසිනි.ඒ අනුව පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ සිටින සජබ, ජවිපෙ, මුස්ලිම් කොන්ග්‍රසය, දෙමල ජාතික සන්ධානය, තොන්ඩමන්ගේ පිලට සිය හාම්පුතාලාගේ,උපදෙස් බලා සිටීමට සිදුවේ. ඒ අනුව ඔවුන් ජනාධිපති ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂයන්ට කුමක් හෝ කියා ප්‍රශ්නයෙන් මගහැරිමි සිටි. ඊට එහා ගිය කිසිවක් මේ කණ්ඩායමට සිදුකල නොහැක.සත්‍ය ලෙසම අන්තර්වාර ආණ්ඩුවක් පිහිටුවීමට කිසිවෙකුගෙන් බලපෑමකින් තොරව තීරණ ගැනීමට හැකියාව ඇත්තේ, විමල්, උදය, වාසු... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
Kandy’s old prison now a no man’s land by L.B. Senaratna
I draw the attention of my readers to the following news item highlighted in the Sunday Times of 2 .4..2022. “Kandy’s old prison now a no man’s land a news item by By L. B. SenaratneKandy. During a visit to the eight-acre Bogambara Prison complex that now seems to be a no man’s land, Central Province Governor Lalith U. Gamage said the entire complex should be cleaned, before further action is taken. The Governor was on an official tour of the premises with Urban Development Authority (UDA) officials. The... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
'ධර්ම පරාක්‍රමබාහු පාඩම' නොඉගෙනීමේ පලවිපාක
1505දි ලොරෙන්සෝ අල්මේදා ශ්‍රී ලංකාවට පැමිණිලි වෙලේ කෝට්ටේ රජ කලේ ධර්ම පරාක්‍රමබාහු රජතුමායි (8වන පරාක්‍රමබාහු). ඉතා කපටියෙකු වූ අල්මේදා තමන් පෘතුගාල රජුගේ දුතයන් බවත්, තමන්ට ශ්‍රී ලංකාව අයිති කරගැනීම පිළිබදව කිසිම ආශාවක් නැති බවත්, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව සමඟ වෙළඳ සහ වාණිජ කටයුතු සිදු කිරීමට පමණක් කැමති බවත් කියා සිටියේය. රජතුමා මේ සම්බන්ධව සිය ඇමති මණ්ඩලය සමඟ සාකච්චා කළේය. ඇමති මණ්ඩලයේ හතර දෙනෙක්ම වුයේ ඔහුගේ සොහොයුරන්ය! මේ ඇමති මණ්ඩලය ගත් තීරණය වුයේ පෘතුගාලය සමඟ රාජ්‍යතාන්ත්‍රික ගිවිසුමක් එකෙහිනිම අත්සන් තැබිය යුතු බවයි. ගිවුසුම ප්‍රකාරව පෘතුගාල රජතුමාට වසරකට කුරුඳු අති විශාල ප්‍රමාණයක් (රාත්තල් ලක්ෂ 2ක් පමණ)... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
Cardinal Ranjith joins mass protests in Sri Lanka
Catholic clergy join calls for president's resignation over the worst economic crisis in decades. Catholic nuns hold placards during a demonstration against the government amid the worsening economic crisis in Colombo on April 5. (Photo: AFP) By UCA News reporter, Colombo Published: April 06, 2022 09:04 AM GMT Catholic bishops, priests and nuns joined street protests against the government while people surrounded parliament as Sri Lanka faces its biggest economic crisis since gaining independence in 1948. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, two bishops and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
Bangladesh is alert to avert economic crisis like one in Sri Lanka: Hasina
Bangladesh’s economy is “robust” and the government has been exercising “extreme caution” so that the country does not face a crisis like that of Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said. She made the remarks after Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader expressed concern over the risks facing Bangladesh’s economy in parliament on Wednesday. He fears Bangladesh may not also be able to repay loans if its economy suffers the way Sri Lanka has. Hasina then said, “This [Sri Lanka’s crisis] is real. But one thing I want to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
State of Emergency order revoked
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has revoked the State of Emergency imposed in the country. Issuing an Extraordinary Gazette Notification, the Head of State revoked the order issued with effect from midnight of 5 April. President Rajapaksa issued an Extraordinary Gazette, declaring a state of Public Emergency on 1 April. The decision was taken in the interest of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
JVP leader under fire over claims of instigating violent protests
JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake came under fire in Parliament today by government MPs who claimed he was instigating violent protests. Government MPs claimed that Dissanayake was seen chatting to protestors on his way from Parliament on Tuesday and echoing the sentiments of them. Referring to the claims, Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando said it was unbecoming of the JVP leader to provoke protestors to unleash violence and vandalism against anyone . He said the JVP leaders instigated a similar murderous culture during the 88/89 period . “Today... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
President will not resign; Johnston says
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will not resign from office under any circumstance, Minister Johnston Fernando said today. The remarks of the Chief Government Whip came during the parliamentary proceedings this morning (April 06). https://youtu.be/u_QeRSnmWP8 In response to a question raised by Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s MP Lakshman Kiriella, Minister Fernando said “I would like to remind the chief opposition whip that 69 lakh of people had voted for the President. As the government, we would like to make it clear that the President will not resign under any circumstances. We... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
Harin proposes Harsha’s name as caretaker President
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Harin Fernando today proposed fellow MP Harsha de Silva’s name as a caretaker President if no one else is up for the position. His remarks came during the parliamentary session earlier today (April 06). https://youtu.be/LG51BqGMqek Fernando said Harsha de Silva, who is an expert in economics, should be appointed as the caretaker President for a period of six months. Speaking further, Fernando stressed that the politicians should set aside the differences in their ideologies and unite to resolve the ongoing crises.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
President appoints advisory group on multilateral engagement, debt sustainability
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed a Presidential Advisory Group on Multilateral Engagement and Debt Sustainability. Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Prof. Shanta Devarajan and Dr. Sharmini Coorey serve as the members of the said advisory group, according to the President’s Media Division (PMD). https://youtu.be/0jk8Tvgx5WE... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
Sri Lanka receives two shipments of petrol and diesel
Two shipments of fuel have been delivered to Sri Lanka in the last 24 hours under Indian credit line, the High Commission of India in Colombo says. Each consignment contained 36,000 metric tonnes of petrol and 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel. Taking to its official Twitter account, the high commission stated that this brings the total supply of various types of fuel Sri Lanka received under Indian assistance to more than 270,000 metric tonnes.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 06/04/22)
Mirihana Protest
"The clarion call in Mirihana and many other demonstrations and opposition protest meetings was a clear message of Gota go. Even a few political commentators have gleefully echoed this call. Gota can be expelled only under Section 38 of the Constitution where he resigns or ceases to be a citizen of Sri Lanka or ousted by a resolution passed in Parliament with a two thirds majority. The forces behind the agitation cannot be ignorant of this fact. But their attempt is to destabilize the government as much as possible. One critical factor they have not taken... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/04/22)
නොනිවෙන බක්මහේ අරගලය.
ජනතාව විප්ලවයක් කිරීමට සුදානම්ව වීථි බසින යුගයක අප ජිවත් වෙමු. මේ වනවිට මෙරට ජනතාවට මෙරට විධායකය, ව්‍යාවස්ථාදායකය හා අධිකරණය සම්බන්ධව තිබු විශ්වාසය සම්පුර්ණයෙන්ම බිඳ වැටී,මේ රාජ්ය යාන්ත්‍රනය බිඳ දැමීමට සුදානම්ව සිටී. මෙය සමාජ ප්‍රගමනයේ ඉතා වැදගත් සන්ධිස්ථානයකි.පාර්ලිමේන්තුව හා එහි වාසි 225ක මන්ත්‍රී සනුහරේම ජනතා උදහසට ලක්ව තිබේ. මේ තත්වය ප්‍රංශ විප්ලවය, රුසියන් විප්ලවය සිහියට නංවන අතර, වර්තමාන ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ අරගලය ප්‍රංශ විප්ලවයේ ස්වරුපය අපට මනාව සිහියට නංවයි. අපට අවශ්ය වන්නේ ප්‍රංශ විප්ලවයට සමාන විප්ලවයක් නොව, රුසියන් විප්ලවයට සමාන විප්ලවයක් බව සටහන් කල යුතුය.අපි ප්‍රංශ විප්ලවයට සමාන විප්ලවයක් අපේක්ෂා නොකරන්නේ, ඒ විප්ලවය තුල සිටි අවස්ථාවාදීන් විසින්... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/04/22)
Protests intensify against Sri Lanka President demanding resignation
Colombo, April 4 (newsin.asia) – Rallies against Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government have increased, with many protests taking place around the country today. The people have protested peacefully in numerous locations, calling for the President to resign as a result of the present economic crisis. https://newsin.asia/watch-protests-intensify-against-sri-lanka-president-demanding-resignation/ During the protests that are taking place around Sri Lanka, the homes of numerous key ministers and state ministers have also been encircled by the people. For similar articles, join our Telegram channel for the latest updates. – click here... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/04/22)
Sri Lankan opposition rejects proposed unity government amid protests
Protests continue over country’s worst economic crisis in memory and deepening mistrust in president's leadership Sri Lankans participate in a protest in the capital Colombo, demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, shortly before the start of a nationwide curfew. APAssociated PressApr 04, 2022 Sri... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/04/22)
Lessons from the implosion of Sri Lanka’s tiny economy
A global shock on top of fiscal profligacy and a foreign debt overload could wreck large economies too. The entire cabinet of Sri Lanka resigned this week, collectively expressing its inability to handle the country’s worsening economic crisis. This was just hours after the lifting of a curfew that was imposed nationwide. The curfew followed the previous week’s imposition of a state of emergency by its president due to a deteriorating food and fuel crisis. This is Sri Lanka’s worst ever economic crisis. The pandemic severely dented tourism revenues,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/04/22)
Mahanayaka Theros present six proposals to the President
In a letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Chief Prelates of the four Buddhist Chapters have put forward several proposals including to dissolve the Cabinet and the setting up of an interim government. In the letter, the Mahanayake Theros present six proposals to resolve the prevailing social-economic crises in the country. The joint letter is signed by Most Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Mahanayaka Thero of the Malwathu Chapter, Most Ven. Dr. Warakagoda Dhammasiddi Sri Gnanarathabidhana Mahanayake Thero of the Siyamopali Maha Nikaya – Asgiriya Chapter, Most Ven. Dodampahala Chandrasiri Maha Nayaka... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/04/22)
Don’t let country fall into state of anarchy; Wimal urges President
Leader of National Freedom Front (NFF) MP Wimal Weerawansa has called on the President to uproot the entire administration that has disgruntled the members of the public. https://youtu.be/RvRHZTa8RSk He also requested the Head of State to set the scene to establish an interim government with a mandate of the majority in the parliament. The former minister’s remarks came during a media briefing today (April 04), held with the participation of the 11 government-allied political parties. Speaking further, Weerawansa also urged the President not to let the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/04/22)
Nimal Lanza issues warning to the government
Former State Minister Nimal Lanza warns that the government will lose its majority in parliament if it attempts to continue through various tactics. Accordingly, more than 50 Members of Parliament representing the ruling party are prepared to function independently in Parliament tomorrow (05), he said. Speaking to the media in Negombo today (04), he further stated that it is very reasonable for the people to ask the government to go home. He said that the government should understand this pressure and step down, adding that at this moment the people’s... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/04/22)
Cabraal resigns as Central Bank governor
The Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Ajith Nivard Cabraal on Monday said he has tendered his resignation to the President. “In the context of all Cabinet Ministers resigning, I have today submitted my resignation as Governor, CBSL to HE President Gotabaya Rajapaksa,” he announced in a twitter post. All 26 Cabinet Ministers had resigned with immediate effect late on Sunday night. Speaking to reporters, the Leader of the House, Dinesh Gunawardena, said the Cabinet Ministers handed over their resignations to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/04/22)
Several ministers sworn in as President appoints temporary Cabinet
Several new Cabinet Ministers have been sworn in before the President this morning (04) as a temporary Cabinet, according to the Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena. Accordingly, Prof. G.L. Peiris has been sworn in as the Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry has been sworn in as the Finance Minister, Johnston Fernando as the Minister of Highways and Dinesh Gunawardena as the Education Minister. Speaking to the media, Mr. Gunawardena said that the President made these appointments this morning to maintain government affairs until a full permanent Cabinet is appointed. Temporary... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/04/22)
We are not prepared to accept any post in a government which includes SLPP,-SJB
The document which is being circulated on social media which says Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa will be sworn in as Prime Minister shortly is a fake one, SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma said. "The document which is circulated in a letter head of SJB and signed by me is false. We are not prepared to accept any post in a government which includes SLPP," he said. The document which is circulated in the social media under the letterhead of SJB and with Mr. Madduma Bandara's signature says Mr. Premadasa... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 04/04/22)
Mahinda Rajapaksa likely to step down as Prime Minister in new interim government-main opposition SJB side, the name of Harsha De Silva has been proposed as the new Finance Minister
Colombo, April 3 (DailyMirror) – Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is likely to step down from his position in the coming hours after both he and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has agreed to form an All Party interim government, the Daily Mirror learns. Following a meeting with the 11 party alliance members, a proposal had been submitted by the members that an all party interim government should be formed immediately with a new Prime Minister to ensure political stability in the country. Both Mahinda and Gotabaya had given a favorable response with sources stating... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/04/22)
Sri Lanka’s entire cabinet resigns
All Cabinet Ministers have decided to resign from their respective ministerial portfolios, SLPP parliamentarian and Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena said. He said the ministers have tendered their letters of resignation to the Prime Minister. However, he confirmed that Mahinda Rajapaksa will continue to serve as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. The prime minister is expected to hold further discussions with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa tomorrow (04), the MP added. It was earlier reported that Namal Rajapaksa had resigned as the Cabinet Minister of Youth and Sports... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/04/22)
Scrap the 29 Member National List – Violation of People’s Franchise
29 People enter Parliament without contesting elections & without the franchise of the People. This negates the principle of parliamentary democracy where the will of the People has been digressed without the consent of the People. The principle behind including a national list was to enable experts & professionals who could not contest elections but could contribute to legislative governance. While on paper this was a meritorious gesture, in reality the principle has been flouted to absorb all the bad eggs who either failed to get elected or could never stand for... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/04/22)
Federation of University Teachers' Associations (FUTA). Press Release
We are currently experiencing the worst economic and political collapse in the history of Sri Lanka post-independence. The present government, consisting of a two-thirds majority in Parliament and an executive president with unlimited powers obtained through the infamous 20th Constitutional Amendment, has, in a short period of time, disappointed the people of this country with its short-sighted financial, economic, and foreign policies. It has made the youth of the country who volunteered after the last election to beautify the cities and cultivate the barren paddy fields with the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/04/22)
පුනර්ජනනීය බලශක්තියට පමණක් මෙය කල නොහැක; සාම්පුර් අත්‍යාවශ්‍යයි
දැන් සිදුවන විදුලිය කැපීම අද ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ඇත්තේ අති දැවැන්ත විදුලිය කැපීමකි. ඇතැම් ප්‍රදේශවල දිනකට පැය 12ක් වැනි කාලයක් විදුලිය කැපේ. මෙයට විවිධ හේතු රජය සපයයි. ඩොලර් අර්බුදය මෙයට ප්‍රධාන හේතුවක් බව කවුරුත් දනීයි. අද රටේ සහයට ඉදිරිපත් ව ඇත්තේ නොරොච්චෝලේ ලක්විජය විදුලි බලාගාරයයි. නොරොච්චෝලේ ධාරිතාවය වැඩි කර, මුළු රටම වැටිය හැකි මහා අන්ධකාරයෙන් ගලවා ගැනීමට, රජයට යම් තරමට හැකි වී ඇත. නොරොච්චෝලේත් නැත්නම්? නොරොච්චෝලේ ඇත්තටම හැදුවේ චන්ද්‍රිකාද, මහින්ද ද; ඇමරිකන් ඩොලර් 500කින් හැදිය හැකිව තිබු නොරොච්චෝලේ ඇමරිකන් ඩොලර් 1500ක පමණ වියදමකින් අවසන් වුයේ මන්ද, චීනයෙන් කෙලින්ම ඩොලර්... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/04/22)
Ajahn Brahm's message for Sri Lanka on 2 April 2022
Refrain from anger, Act peacefully, This too will change. https://youtu.be/WrvfgX2nlAI... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/04/22)
Opposition lawmakers in Sri Lanka protest government's decision to impose state of emergency
Over 600 protesters arrested in Colombo for violating nationwide curfew Smiles on the faces of the Rajapaksa brothers seem to be a thing of the past Defying curfew orders, lawmakers from Sri Lanka's principal opposition party Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) on Sunday staged an anti-government protest here against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's move to impose a state of emergency and other restrictions amidst the worst economic crisis in the island nation. A majority of Sri Lankans were unable to access social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/04/22)
Streets in Colombo wear deserted look amid 36-hour Nationwide Curfew
https://youtu.be/H2hDBn7-aqY Colombo (Sri Lanka), April 03 (ANI): The roads of Colombo on April 03 wore a deserted look following the imposition of the 36-hour Nationwide Curfew. The Nationwide Curfew has been declared by the Sri Lankan government ahead of an ‘Arab Spring’ style protest scheduled to be staged later in the day. Ahead of the planned protest, the island nation had declared a 36-hour curfew as the country faced a severe power crisis and rising inflation. 22 million citizens of the country are having a hard time dealing with blackouts for up... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/04/22)
Sri Lanka crisis: Man kills himself in front of President Rajapaksa's house
He has been demanding an end to power outage A 53-year-old man killed himself in front of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's house in Mirihana, even as the 36-hour curfew imposed in the country failed to deter protestors from venturing out and staging agitations. According to media reports, the man killed himself by climbing on a transformer. He has been demanding an end to the 13-hour long power cut imposed in the island nation. Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/04/22)
Kin of Lankan minister Namal Rajapaksa leave country: Report
Amid continuing disenchantment with the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government in Sri Lanka, a media outlet reported on Sunday that relatives of a prominent minister had left the country. Sri Lanka has been under curfew since Saturday as part of attempts by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa dispensation to prevent protests over the ongoing economic crisis. The Daily Mirror reported on Sunday that the wife of minister Namal Rajapaksa, Limini, and her parents left Sri Lanka on Sunday morning. Namal Rajapaksa is the son of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/04/22)
Sri Lanka protesters gather despite curfew and social media shutdown
Sri Lankan forces moved to stop a protest by opposition lawmakers and supporters attempting to march to the capital's Independence Square from the home of opposition leader Sajith Premadasa. A critical lack of foreign currency has left Sri Lanka struggling to service its ballooning $51 billion public debt, with the pandemic torpedoing vital revenue from tourism and remittances. (AFP) Armed troops in Sri Lanka have blocked an opposition protest march staged in defiance of an emergency curfew to protest the island nation's worsening economic crisis. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB),... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/04/22)
In Fake Whatsapp Forward, Sri Lanka's Left Radical JVP Claims Indian Army Arrived in Colombo, Govt Denies
In Fake Whatsapp Forward, Sri Lanka's Left Radical JVP Claims Indian Army Arrived in Colombo, Govt Denieshttps://www.news18.com/news/world/in-fake-whatsapp-forward-sri-lankas-left-radical-jvp-claims-indian-army-arrived-in-colombo-govt-denies-4937102.html... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/04/22)
Sri Lanka People's Protests & Looming Arab Spring
Sri Lanka is faced with an economic crisis. The people are facing many economic & cost of living difficulties. The people blame the government for keeping them in the dark (pun intended) & not managing the situation which their advisors/consultants would have had foreknowledge about. So the blame game has led to everyone blaming each other but no one looking for solutions. The only solutions being applied without much opposition has been to run to countries for loans in exchange for compromising parts of Sri Lanka together with their resources & assets.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/04/22)
Island-wide curfew in Sri Lanka until Monday
An island-wide curfew will be imposed at 6.00pm today (April 02), the Department of Government Information announced. The curfew order will be effective until 6.00am on Monday (April 04). The move comes days after the mass protest staged on Pengiriwatte Road in Mirihana on Thursday evening (March 31). The demonstration commenced near the Jubilee Post in Nugegoda at around 7.30 p.m. and later proceeded towards Pengiriwatta Mawatha, leading to the presidential residence in Mirihana. People had thronged in large numbers holding placards and shouting slogans and demanding that... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/04/22)
Mirihana mass protest: Fifteen arrestees granted bail, six remanded
A total of 21 people who were arrested over the protest at Pengiriwatte Road, Mirihana yesterday have been produced before the Gangodawila Magistrate’s Court today. According to Ada Derana correspondent, 15 of them were granted bail while six others were placed under remand custody until the 04th of April.... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/04/22)
Public emergency declared in Sri Lanka
A Gazette Extraordinary has been published declaring a public emergency in Sri Lanka with effect from today (April 01). The communiqué was issued by presidential secretary Gamini Senarath, under the directives of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Public emergency is declared in the interests of public security, the protection of public order and the maintenance of supplies and services essential to the life of the community as it is expedient, the gazette read. The Head of State declared public emergency by virtue of the powers vested in him by Section 2 of... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/04/22)
SLFP decides to call for caretaker government
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) has decided to urge President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to form a caretaker government after holding discussions with all political parties. The decision was taken at the SLFP’s central committee meeting convened for nearly three hours on Friday (April 01) at the party headquarters, amidst the rolling power interruptions. Speaking to the media following the meeting, SLFP’s Senior Vice President Prof. Rohana Lakshman Piyadasa said all central committee members have unanimously voiced their displeasure on continuing to be in the government. He said the central... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/04/22)
ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සංචාරක හා සත්කාරක අංශයේ වෘත්තීන් සඳහා මෙරට ජනතාවගේ කුසලතා සංවර්ධන කර රැකියාගත කරන S4IG ව්‍යාපෘතියේ දෙවන අදියරය සඳහා අවබෝධතා ගිවිසුම් අත්සන් කෙරේ
ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ සංචාරක හා සත්කාරක අංශයේ වෘත්තීන් සඳහා මෙරට ජනතාවගේ කුසලතා සංවර්ධන කර රැකියා වෙත යොමු කිරීමේ අරමුණින් නිපුණතා සංවර්ධන, වෘත්තීය අධ්‍යාපන, පර්යේෂණ නව නිපැයුම් රාජ්ය අමාත්‍යාංශය විසින් ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු රජයේ සහයෝගය ඇතිව කුසලතා සංවර්ධන ව්‍යාපෘතියක් (S4IG) ආරම්භ කෙරිණ. S4IG ව්‍යාපෘතියේ පළමු අදියරය 2017 වසරේ සිට 2021 වසරතෙක් ක්‍රියාත්මක වූ අතර එහි දෙවන අදියරය සඳහා ඊයේ දින (31) රාජ්ය අමාත්‍යාංශ ලේකම් දීපා ලියනගේ මැතිණිය සහ ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ඔස්ට්‍රේලියානු මහා කොමසාරිස් ඩේවිඩ් හෝලි මහතා අතර අවබෝධතා ගිවිසුම් අත්සන් කෙරිණ. ඒ අනුව මෙම ගිවිසුම යටතේ ඕස්ට්‍රේලියානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 12ක ප්‍රතිපාදන තාක්ෂණ ආධාර වශයෙන් ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ නිපුණතා සංවර්ධනය සඳහා හිමිවෙනු ඇත. දෙවන... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/04/22)
තාවකාලික යනු නියතයයි Happy Ramazan Everybody
මේ අලුත් අවුරුදු මාසයයි කා බී නටා විනෝද වෙන කාලයයි. ජනගහනයෙන් 50% ක් පීඩිත පන්තියය. මිලියන් 11 ය. එක්කෙනෙකුට අවුරුද්දකට ලක්ෂය බැගින් මුළු මහත් පීඩිත පන්තියටම දුන්නත් යන්නේ රුපියල් ලක්ෂ මිලියන් 11 කි. ට්‍රිලියන 1.1 ය. ඇමරිකන් වියදම් පනත ඩොලර් ට්‍රිලියන 1.5 කි. මේ මාසේ අවුරුදු පාස්කු රමසාන් සැමරීමට සඳහා මාසෙකට එක්කෙනෙකුට රුපියල් 8333 කි. ලබන මාසේ වෙසක් සැමරීම සඳහා... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/04/22)
“People will hardly vote for any Rajapaksa again” - Wimal Weerawansa
Basil Rajapaksa needs to execute the US agenda Not everybody who gives us loans is an imperialist force This crisis will unite people together to form a different mandate The JVP appears to be an attractive party prior to an electionNeither the SJB nor JVP could show a new direction to the people We have been executing a model where senior generations take loans and prosper while younger generations have to sacrifice their futureIf there’s a certain kind of extremism within the Sinhala community we will stand against that as well National Freedom Front Leader Wimal Weerawansa recently claimed... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/04/22)
Highways Ministry speeding ahead with controversial bid to local consortium
Even China, which avoids commenting on Sri Lanka’s internal matters, raised the issue at the highest levels in private and in public Central Expressway third section The Highways Ministry is barreling through the controversial bid to award part of the Central Expressway Project’s (CEP III) third section to a local consortium at a price higher by US$ 822mn (Rs 238.5bn) than its competing bid. The details are so guarded that meetings of the Cabinet Appointed Negotiating Committee (CANC)—at which stage the project now is, following... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/04/22)
ERASING THE EELAM VICTORY Part16 H Pt 1
Edward Gunawardena pointed out that terrorism in the north started in the early 1970s. The insurgency in the north parallels the JVP insurgency in the south, said analysts. Both insurgencies probably had the same external influence, and that influence probably was USA. Edward Gunawardena observed that In May 1972, militant youths tried to topple a key high-tension electricity tower and also kidnap the children of a Tamil cabinet minister, Chelliah Kumarasuriyar.( Island 18.7.21 p 12 ). in 1975 Alfred Duraiappah was assassinated by a group which included Prabhakaran.. Duraiappah had a significant vote bank... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/04/22)
ආණ්ඩුවක් විදියට ජනතාවට අසාධාරණයක් වෙන්න අපි ඉඩ තියන්නෙ නැහැ. හැකිතාක් ඉක්මනට මේ ප්‍රශ්නෙට විසඳුමක් ලබාදෙන්න කටයුතු කරනවා. - අමාත්ය නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ මහතා -
බණ්ඩාරවෙල නගරයේ ඉන්ධන පිරවුම්හලක් අසල සිදුවූ සිදුවීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් අදහස් දක්වමින් අද (30) දින අමාත්‍යවරයා මේ බව පැවසීය. ‘‘මම බණ්ඩාරවෙල එන නිසා ඉන්ධන පිරවුම්හලක පෝලිම් වෙනස් කළා කියලා රටේ ජනතාව අතරට වැරදි මතයක්, එහෙම නැත්නම් බොරු කටකතාවක් ගෙනයාමට උත්සහ දරා තිබෙන බව මාධ්‍යවල මමත් දැක්කා. පළවෙනි කාරණය අපි යම් කිසිකිසි කාර්යයකට රාජකාරි මට්ටමින් හෝ පෞද්ගලික මට්ටමින් යනකොට කිසිසේත් සාමාන්‍ය ජනජීවිතය තුළ ජනතාව අපහසුතාවට පත්වන විදියට උත්සව හෝ වැඩසටහන් සංවිධානය කරන්නෙ නැහැ. යම් ක්‍රමවේදයක් තිබුණා නම් මේ උත්සවය... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/04/22)
අග්‍රාමාත්‍යතුමාගේ ප්‍රධානත්වයෙන් පැවති වත්මන් ආර්ථික ගැටළු පිළිබඳ විද්වත් සාකච්ඡාව
වත්මන් ආර්ථික ගැටළු පිළිබඳ විද්වත් සාකච්ඡාවක් අග්රාමාත්ය මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ මහතාගේ ප්‍රධානත්වයෙන් ඊයේ (30) පස්වරුවේ අරලියගහ මන්දිරයේ දී පැවැත්විණි. සාමාන්‍ය ජන ජීවිතය යථාවත් කරමින් දිගුකාලීන ආර්ථික පුනර්ජීවයක් ඇති කිරීම සඳහා ආර්ථික ක්ෂේත්‍රයේ විද්වතුන්ගේ සහභාගීත්වයෙන් විද්වත් කථිකාවතක් ඇති කිරීම සහ ආර්ථික පුනර්ජීවය සඳහා අවශ්ය ක්රියාමාර්ග හඳුනා ගැනීම මෙහි අරමුණ විය. මෙහිදී අදහස් දැක් වූ රාජ්ය මුල්‍ය ප්‍රතිපත්ති දෙපාර්තමේන්තුවේ අධ්‍යක්ෂ ජනරාල් ආචාර්ය කපිල සේනානායක මහතා 2020 මාර්තු වලින් පසු 2020 සහ 2021 වර්ෂ වල පැවති කොවිඩ් වසංගතය හේතුවෙන් රජයේ සෞඛ්‍ය සේවාව සඳහා වන පිරිවැය ඉහළ ගියා. ඉහළ යන විරැකියා ප්‍රශ්නයට විසඳුම් ලබා... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/04/22)
71 කැරැල්ල අවුරුදු 51 ට පසු
Chris Rock Comedian ය. විල් ස්මිත් ප්‍රසිද්ද නළුවෙක්ය. විල් ස්මිත් Chris Rock ට වේදිකාවේදී කම්මුල් පාරක් දුන්නේ Oscar සම්මාන දෙද්දී ගිය සෙනසුරාදාය. Rock පහර කෑවේය. සිනාසුනේය. අනිත් කම්මුලටත් එකක් දෙන්න කීවෙත් නැත. පෙරලා පහර දුන්නේත් නැත. පෙරලා පහර දුන්නේ නැති එක පුදුමයක්ය. විල් ස්මිත් ට best ඇට්ටර් ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/04/22)
දෝෂ සහිත තවත් මැදිරි 40 ක් ඉන්දියාවෙන් ලංකාවට.
ඉන්දියානු ණය යෝජනා ක්‍රමය යටතේ ඇණවුම්කර ඇති දුම්රිය මැදිරි 160 න් 120 ක් මීට පෙර ගෙනෙවිත් මාලිගාවත්ත දුම්රිය අංගනයේ ස්ථානගත කර තිබුණද, විවිධ තාක්‍ෂණික අඩුපාඩු නිසා එම දුම්රිය මැදිරි ධාවනයට එක්කර ගැනීමට නොහැකි වී ඇත. මෙම දුම්රිය මැදිරි 160න් ඉතිරි මැදිරි 40 ක් පමණ, 2022 මාර්තු මස 19 දින කොළඹ වරායට ලඟාවී ඇති අතර, මාර්තු 21 දින සිට ගොඩබෑමේ කටයුතු ආරම්භකර ඇත. ඒ අනුව මේ වනවිට මැදිරි 40 ක් කොළඹ වරාය භූමියේ ස්ථානගත කර ඇත.මේ වනවිට දින 10 කට අධික කාලයක් ගත වී ඇතත්, මෙම දුම්රිය මැදිරි නිදහස් කර ගැනීමට දුම්රිය දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව අපොහොසත් වී... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/04/22)
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