Author: TELO Admin

Former Member of Parliament Hirunika Premachandra was taken to Welikada Prison today following her sentencing to three years of rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court. Premachandra was escorted by prison officials from the courthouse premises to the prison.

The conviction stems from an incident in 2016, where Premachandra was found guilty of abducting a youth in a Defender vehicle. The case has been a high-profile one, drawing public and media attention.

Premachandra’s legal team has already filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal, challenging the High Court’s decision. They remain confident that she will be granted bail pending the appeal process.

The United National Party (UNP) and a section of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) will jointly carry out the President’s election campaign islandwide starting from Matara today afternoon under the theme ‘Ekwa Jayagamu’ (Victory through Unity).

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has yet to announce himself as the common candidate for the scheduled presidential election, will preside over the meeting at the Mahinda Wijesekara playground, named after the father of Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara, who
has taken over the responsibility of organising the first of such meetings.

The UNP’s grassroots machinery has been unable to organise what is expected of them to boost the party leader’s prospects in the forthcoming election.

In most of the districts, it would be a similar case where UNP members would be jointly carrying out campaigns.

In the Kandy district, for instance, former Mayor Kesara Senanayake and ex-Provincial Council member Shanthini Kongahage from the UNP will be jointly campaigning with SLPP State Ministers Dilum Amunugama, Lohan Ratwatte and Parliamentarian Mahindananda Aluthgamage.

In the Gampaha district, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga this week summoned a meeting of district politicians. He praised President Wickremesinghe for enabling SLPP members to get back to politics after the anti-government violence that was unleashed against them on May 9, 2022. Minister Ranatunga is set to steer the President’s campaign in the crucial district.

Many Sri Lankan mercenaries fighting in the Ukraine front have become Russian citizens, making it difficult to give them diplomatic support, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said.

So far 446 complaints have been lodged by family members asking for government help to bring back menfolk trapped in the Ukraine warfront, he said.

“They have taken Russian citizenship at the moment,” Sabry told reporters on Friday explaining the difficulties faced by Sri Lanka in getting back citizens.

He said “many” appeared to have become Russian citizens.

“If you take another country’s citizenship you lose Sri Lankan citizenship, so if you are no longer a citizen of Sri Lanka we lose the right to represent you, that is the problem, unless they apply for dual citizenship,” Minister Sabry said.

While some appeared to have been misled that they would be camp helpers in support roles and pushed into combat, others may have known the actual stakes involved, he said.

Sri Lankans have been recruited to fight for Russia in the Russia-Ukraine war being promised a large, salary, Russian citizenship, compensation for death and injury.

Returnees have estimated that around 800 Sri Lankans were working for mercenary companies in Russia and perhaps 200 had died.

Minister Sabry said he was unable to confirm the numbers.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa left for a four day official visit to China today morning and will hold discussions with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his stay, the Daily Mirror learns.

Sources said that Rajapaksa’s visit was on an invitation by Minister Wang Yi to attend the commemorative events marking the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in Beijing.

The commemorative events will be attended by China’s President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Qiang, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other leading CPC members.

On the sidelines of the events, Rajapaksa will hold discussions with Prime Minister Li Qiang and Minister Yi on areas of mutual interest and also development projects which will benefit Sri Lanka. Rajapaksa will also discuss Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring agreement and express his gratitude for the assistance given by China and the Exim Bank of China.

Rajapaksa travelled to Beijing through Singapore and will return back on July 1.

Sri Lanka voiced its opposition to unilateral human rights mandates at the UN Human Rights Council.

Dilini Lenagala, Minister-Counsellor at Sri Lanka’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, delivered the statement which emphasized collaboration over coercion.

Lenagala urged the Council to prioritize constructive dialogue with member states. She argued that acknowledging progress made through domestic efforts is crucial for fostering positive change.

Sri Lanka’s statement directly challenged the practice of imposing country-specific human rights mandates. Lenagala argued that such mandates, implemented without a nation’s consent, are divisive and unproductive. They hinder progress by creating an atmosphere of polarization.

In contrast, Sri Lanka called for a collaborative approach based on the guiding principles enshrined in UN General Assembly Resolution 60/251 and the “I.B. package.” These documents emphasize dialogue, cooperation, and respect for national sovereignty when addressing human rights concerns.

Sri Lanka reiterated its belief that the Human Rights Council’s work should be guided by principles of sovereign equality, respect for territorial integrity, and non-interference.

Lenagala emphasized that pursuing unilateral mandates undermines these principles and hinders real progress on human rights issues.

Sri Lanka’s agreements with China and other creditor nations to restructure about $10 billion in bilateral debt brought it a step closer towards restoring debt sustainability, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday.

The island nation signed deals with China and other creditor nations to restructure about $10 billion in bilateral debt on Wednesday, helping it approach the end of a restructuring process that began in September 2022 after its reserves hit record lows and forced it to default on foreign debt for the first time.

Sri Lankan officials in Paris inked the agreement with the Official Creditor Committee (OCC) co-chaired by Japan, India and France that have lent a combined $5.8 billion.

The committee is now awaiting details of a separate agreement that was signed with China EXIM Bank to rework $4.2 billion to be shared with them to ensure comparability of treatment, OCC said in a statement.

Sri Lanka, however, still needs to convince bondholders to restructure about $12.5 billion in international bonds.

“We hope that there will be swift progress on reaching agreements with external private creditors in the near future,” Peter Breuer, IMF’s senior mission chief for Sri Lanka, said in a statement.

Bilateral lenders said they hoped an agreement with bondholders would be “on terms at least as favourable as the terms offered by the OCC.”

The restructuring of bilateral debt agreements was one of the key conditions set by the IMF under a $2.9 billion bailout programme that helped Sri Lanka tame inflation, stabilise its currency, and improve government finances.

The central bank estimates the economy will expand 3% in 2024 after contracting 2.3% last year.

Sri Lanka, whose total external debt is $37 billion, also has to finalise arrangements with China Development Bank to restructure debt of $2.2 billion, according to latest finance ministry data.

Under the restructuring plan, Sri Lanka can delay repaying bilateral creditors till 2028. During this period, the government and creditors can arrange new loans out to 2043.

Once the restructuring is completed, Sri Lanka aims to reduce its debt by $16.9 billion, the government said.

It will seek approval from parliament on July 2 to proceed with the deals, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said during an address to the nation late on Wednesday.

The debt restructuring will help the cash-strapped nation more than halve its foreign debt repayments to 4.5% of gross domestic product between 2027-2032, from 9.2% in 2022 at the peak of the economic crisis.

But the country has to still improve governance and stay on the path of reforms, including implementing legislation to lock in IMF-stipulated fiscal targets, impose a property tax, and limit lending by state banks to loss making state-run companies, according to analysts.

Recovery could also face headwinds from upcoming presidential elections scheduled to be held before mid-October.

“There is now the chance Sri Lanka can access undisbursed loans from bilateral lenders, particularly for infrastructure projects that were stalled, or get new loans,” said Thilina Panduwawala, head of research at Frontier Research.

“But it could be next year by the time they get these up and running because elections can also delay that process.”

Source: Reuters