Author: TELO Admin

Oppo. takes Col. Port City to task

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The Colombo Port City has not only been unable to deliver economic benefits as was anticipated, but it has also resulted in legal and policy changes that would in the long run be disadvantageous to Sri Lanka’s economy, according to Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Opposition Parliamentarian Chandima Weerakkody.

Speaking to the media at a press briefing yesterday (2), he expressed concerns about the success of the Port City project, adding that the Government has failed to attract investors despite its efforts which include legal and policy changes involving tax concessions. In a context where the Government has even invested a massive amount of money to develop the infrastructure within the Port City premises, he added, this failure will amount to a massive loss in the long run. In addition, he alleged that the Government seemed to have attempted to give preference to its friends during the Port City project, without taking steps based on economically beneficial strategies. The result, he claimed, is not only not being able to attract foreign investors but also a heavy blow to the businesses of those engaged in such at the Galle Face Green.

In addition, Weerakkody pointed out that providing duty free concessions that apply to the Port City premises and are available for those who return to the country at a limit of United States Dollars 5,000 would result in adverse impacts to traders who import goods, expressing concerns about the decision which he said was not even included in the initial Port City project plan. He further said that the Government has, through its arbitrary decisions which include legal and policy reforms that are not in the interest of the public, ignored the public’s democratic rights, and that such should therefore be opposed. At the same time, he expressed concerns about how the business plans concerning the Port City would affect local businesses.

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General amnesty declared for tri-forces absentees

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The Ministry of Defence has declared a general amnesty for the tri-forces absentees, enabling them to receive an official discharge from their respective services.

General amnesty will be in force for a period of one month, from 20 April to 20 May.

Accordingly, the tri-forces personnel who have been absent without leave (AWOL) before 02 April 2024 will be allowed to receive their discharge from military service during this period.

Additionally, any financial obligations or amounts due are required to be settled prior to their discharge.

Meanwhile, the absentees who are currently living overseas will also be eligible to receive a legal discharge from the military service without reporting to their respective regiments, subject to the following requirements:

• Those seeking to be discharged should have no pending disciplinary actions taken against them apart from that of being AWOL.

• Should have clearance from the Department of Immigration and Emigration confirming their travel abroad was done with legal documents and not on forged documents or by illegal means.

• It should be noted that this amnesty does not apply to those who had gone AWOL and failed to return to the country after attending foreign courses funded by the government or courses offered to Tri Forces by foreign institutes, and those who had proceeded on diplomatic missions or any other requirements.

Maithripala decides not to provide statement in court

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Former President Maithripala Sirisena has informed the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court that he will not provide a confidential statement before the magistrate in connection with his controversial revelation regarding the Easter Sunday attacks.

Court had earlier directed the former President to appear before Court on April 4 following a request by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

In a motion before Magistrate Lochani Abeywickrema, a lawyer representing former President Sirisena informed court that his client does not intend to make a confidential statement regarding the Easter Sunday attacks since he has already made a detailed statement to the CID. After hearing the submissions, the Magistrate held that there is no necessity for the former President to appear before court on April 4.

The CID had filed a facts report before Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court regarding the statement the former President had made recently. Minister of Public Security Tiran Alas had instructed the Inspector General of Police to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the statement made by the former President in Kandy that he knew the people involved in the Easter Sunday bomb attacks on 21 April 2019.

Discussion among officials of the Election Commission was held today

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Chairman of the NEC R.M.A.L. Rathnayake says the implementation of the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act was discussed at the meeting.

The Deputy and Assistant Election Commissioners have also been summoned to Colombo tomorrow for a three-day workshop.

It has also been revealed that an expert with international experience on the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act will join the workshop.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission says that the upcoming presidential election will be officially announced towards the end of July or in early August.

Rathnayake says the presidential election will definitely be held between September 17 and October 17.

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India to ask Sri Lanka to allow fishing near Katchatheevu

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India is to ask Sri Lanka to allow Indian fishermen to fish near Katchatheevu, India’s External Affair Minister S Jaishankar said.

Amid disclosures through RTI that India did not try hard enough to keep Katchatheevu, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the Indian Government will open negotiations with Sri Lanka over the implementation of the India-Sri Lanka Maritime Boundary Act and a subsequent deal based on which Colombo is stopping Indian fishermen from operating in waters near the island.

“We should get fishing rights. We need to sit with Sri Lankan authorities and sort it out. Even today, our fishermen are being arrested and vessels are being seized. Katchatheevu island was given away in 1974 and fishing rights were given away in 1976,” Jaishankar said as he held Congress and DMK equally responsible for “ceding claim without putting up resistance”.

In past 20 years, 6,184 Indian fishermen have been detained and 1,175 Indian fishing vessels seized, detained or apprehended by Sri Lanka, Jaishankar said as he called out DMK and Congress for making it appear that the issue has emerged out of thin air and they were not responsible for the island being ceded to Sri Lanka.

Former Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday defended the agreement to give away the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka.

He said this agreement was arrived at in 1974 and 1976 after long negotiations. “PM Modi is referring to a recent RTI reply, he should refer to the RTI reply of January 27, 2015, when I believe EAM S Jaishankar was foreign secretary. That reply clearly says that after negotiations, the island lay on the Srilankan side of the international border,” he said in a video response shared by news agency ANI.

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Sri Lanka’s economy shows signs of stabilization, but poverty to remain elevated – World Bank

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Sri Lanka’s economy is projected to see moderate growth of 2.2% in 2024, showing signs of stabilization, following the severe economic downturn of 2022. But, the country still faces elevated poverty levels, income inequality, and labor market concerns, says the World Bank’s latest bi-annual update.

Released today, the Sri Lanka Development Update, Bridge to Recovery, highlights that Sri Lanka saw declining inflation, higher revenues on the back of the implementation of new fiscal policies, and a current account surplus for the first time in nearly five decades, buoyed by increased remittances and a rebound in tourism.

However, poverty rates continued to rise for the fourth year in a row, with an estimated 25.9% of Sri Lankans living below the poverty line in 2023. Labor force participation has also seen a decline, particularly among women and in urban areas, exacerbated by the closure of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Households are grappling with multiple pressures from high prices, income losses, and under employment. This has led to households taking on debt to meet food requirements and maintain spending on health and education.

“Sri Lanka’s economy is on the road to recovery, but sustained efforts to mitigate the impact of the economic crisis on the poor and vulnerable are critical, alongside a continuation of the path of robust and credible structural reforms,” emphasized Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

“This involves a two-pronged strategy: first, to maintain reforms that contribute to macroeconomic stability and second, to accelerate reforms to stimulate private investment and capital inflows, which are crucial for economic growth and poverty reduction.”

Looking forward, the report projects a modest pickup in growth of 2.5% in 2025, with a gradual increase in inflation and a small current account surplus. However, high debt service obligations are expected to exert pressure on fiscal balances. Poverty rates are anticipated to remain above 22% until 2026.

Risks to the outlook remain, particularly related to inadequate debt restructuring, reversal of reforms, financial sector vulnerabilities, and the enduring impact of the crisis. The report emphasizes that strong reform implementation will be fundamental to fostering a resilient economy through continued macro-fiscal-financial stability, greater private sector investment, and addressing risks associated with state-owned enterprises.

The Sri Lanka Development Update is a companion piece to the South Asia Development Update, a twice-a-year World Bank report that examines economic developments and prospects in the South Asia region and analyzes policy challenges faced by countries. The April 2024 edition, Jobs for Resilience, projects South Asia to remain the fastest-growing region in the world, with growth projected to be 6.0% in 2024- driven mainly by robust growth in India and recoveries in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. But this strong outlook is deceptive, says the report. For most countries, growth is still below pre-pandemic levels and is reliant on public spending. At the same time, private investment growth has slowed sharply in all South Asian countries and the region is not creating enough jobs to keep pace with its rapidly increasing working-age population. The report recommends a range of policies to spur firm growth and boost employment as well as help lift growth and productivity and free up space for public investments in climate adaptation.

Anura ready for public debate with Sajith on economic policies: Handunnetti

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The National People’s Power (NPP) today invited Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa for a public debate on economic policies with NPP leader and presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

NPP politburo member Sunil Handunnetti told a news conference that the NPP was ready to take up SJB MPs Nalin Bandara and Dr. Harsha De Silva‘s challenge to the NPP Economic Council for a public debate on economic policies and requested them to convey it in writing.

He said it was a good move to have a debate on economic policies of the presidential candidates ahead of the polls so that people can know their policies, adding that Anura Kumara Dissanayake was ready for a debate with SJB leader Sajith Premadasa.

“They are contesting the upcoming Presidential election. It is important for the people to know the policies of the Presidential candidates first-hand with some accountability. It is pointless debating with Kabir Hashim, Dr. Harsha De Silva and Eran Wickramaratne as they constantly change their policies. They acted as economic advisors to Ranil Wickremesinghe earlier and now they are with Sajith Premadasa. They may be with Ranil Wickremesinghe at the time of the Presidential election,” he said.

Hadunnetti requested the Samagi Jana Balawegaya to inform in writing if Sajith Premadasa was not willing and unable to do it and added that they could then decide how and with whom it should be done.

“Let’s arrange a date, time and television channel for the debate. Our proposal is to have the debate between Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake,” Handunnetti said.

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Modi questions Congress about island ceded to Sri Lanka

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(Reuters) – India’s half-century-old decision to end a territorial dispute with Sri Lanka over a tiny island has become a hot-button election issue, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party accusing the rival Congress of compromising fishermen’s rights.

A 1976 agreement barred Indian fishermen from waters around the 285-acre (115-hectare) island in the Palk Strait that divides the neighbours, two years after a pact on maritime boundaries gave Colombo rights over it.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Sri Lanka had detained more than 6,000 Indian fishermen and 1,175 fishing vessels over the last 20 years, following the 1976 deal on the island, located 33 km (21 miles) off India’s coast.

His comments come a day after Modi accused the Congress of having “callously” given away the island, called Katchatheevu.

“Weakening India’s unity, integrity and interests has been Congress’ way of working for 75 years and counting,” Modi said on social media platform X.

In response, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the 1974 agreement had been “based on a friendly gesture” and suggested that Modi’s comments came with an eye to general elections set to start on April 19, at which he will seek a rare third term.

Kharge said Modi raised the sensitive issue on the eve of the elections, though his government’s attorney general had told the Supreme Court in 2014 that India would “have to go to war” if it wanted to recover the island from Sri Lanka.

The office of Sri Lanka’s president and its foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Discontent over the curtailed fishing rights has grown in the southern coastal state of Tamil Nadu neighbouring Sri Lanka, leading to two legal challenges to the agreements during the last two decades that are still pending in the Supreme Court.

Tamil Nadu goes to the polls on April 19, the first phase of seven rounds of voting set to end on June 1.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to make inroads in the state, where it won none of the state’s 39 seats in India’s 545-member parliament during the last election.

Jaishankar did not comment if the government would seek to alter the status of the island, as the matter was in the Supreme Court.

Uncertainty looms over Presidential Election date amidst IMF program and political demands

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The preliminary arrangements required to hold the presidential election have been completed, according to the Election Commission.

Nevertheless, internal sources within the government revealed that President Ranil Wickremesinghe informed the Cabinet of Ministers and the Election Commission that no election will take place before the month of July, as the country’s debt restructuring programme under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be in progress until July.

However, the Presidential Election is required to be held within this year, as per the Constitution.

Last week, reports claimed that the presidential election will possibly take place in the period between end-September to early-October this year.

Meanwhile, a member of the Election Commission stated that an amount of Rs. 10 billion has been allocated from the budget for holding the elections this year, and that all Assistant Election Commissioners have been informed regarding the preparation activities to hold the election.

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) had requested the President to hold the general election before the presidential election and if so, the general election would have to be held before the month of August.

Katchatheevu neither acquired nor ceded, lies in Sri Lankan maritime area – UBT leader

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Adding fuel to the Katchatheevu row, India’s Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi shared an RTI reply of 2015 where it was mentioned that the Katchatheevu island was neither acquired nor ceded and that it lies on the Sri Lankan side of the India-Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line.

In a post on ‘X’, Chaturvedi pointed out that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) should be able to address the “discrepancies” in its RTI response in 2015 and its position in 2024.

“Maybe @MEAIndia will be able to address these discrepancies in its RTI response in 2015 vis a vis 2024,” Chaturvedi said. “This did not involve either acquiring or ceding of territory belonging to India since the area in question had never been demarcated. Under the Agreements, the Island of Katchatheevu lies on the Sri Lankan side of the India-Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line,” the RTI reply which Chaturvedi said was from the MEA in 2015 read.

Chaturvedi claimed that the RTI reply was given when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was serving as the country’s Foreign Secretary. Alleging a difference in opinions she said, “Today the Foreign Minister and yesterday the India PM claimed it has been ‘ceded’ So is the change in stance for their election politics or has Modiji made a case for Sri Lanka?”

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar had criticised the historic attitude of the Congress party towards the Katchatheevu island and said that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru saw it as a ‘nuisance’. “This is an observation by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in May of 1961. He says, he writes, I attach no importance at all to this little island and I would have no hesitation in giving up our claim to it. I do not like matters like this pending. Indefinitely and being raised again and again in parliament. So to Pandit Nehru, this was a little island. It had no importance. He saw it as a nuisance,” EAM Jaishankar said in a press conference.

However on Monday, India’s External affairs minister S Jaishankar lashed out at the Congress and DMK saying that the parties approached the Katchatheevu issue as though they “bear no responsibility”. He emphasized on the matter that the public has the right to know how Katchatheevu was given away.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Jaishankar said, “We know who did this, what we don’t know is who hid it. Public has the right to know how Katchatheevu island was given to Sri Lanka, why even the fishing rights of Indian fishermen were also given up in 1976 after giving an assurance to the Parliament that fishing rights of Indians in the 1974 agreement have been safeguarded.”

“In 1974, India and Sri Lanka concluded an agreement where they drew a maritime boundary, and in drawing the maritime boundary, Katchatheevu was put on the Sri Lankan side of the boundary,” he added.

He further said that India needs to sit with Sri Lankan authorities and find a solution.

Highlighting the background of the issue, Jaishankar said, “In the last 20 years, 6184 Indian fishermen have been detained by Sri Lanka and 1175 Indian fishing vessels have been seized, detained, or apprehended by Sri Lanka. This is the background of the issue that we are discussing.”

Calling it a “live issue” and not something that surfaced “suddenly”, Jaishankar said, “The then CM of Tamil Nadu has written to me numerous times. And my record shows that to the current CM, I have replied 21 times on this issue. This is not an issue that has suddenly surfaced. This is a live issue.”

“It is an issue that has been very much debated in parliament and in Tamil Nadu circles. It has been the subject of correspondence between the union government and the state government,” he added.

He also said, “DMK questions handing over Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka, claims Tamil Nadu govt not consulted; fact is it was kept fully informed.”

Lashing out at Congress & DMK for their attitude towards the issue, he said, “Congress & DMK have approached this matter as though they have no responsibility for this.”

“As though the situation is for today’s central government to resolve, there is no history to this, this has just happened, they are the people who are taking up the cause; that is the way they would like to project it,” he added.

Earlier in the day, India PM Modi cited a Times of India report and slammed DMK on the Katchatheevu island issue, saying the new details emerging on the matter have “unmasked” the party’s double standards.

The development comes a day after the Indian PM came down heavily on the Congress party and the DMK for giving away the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka during the tenure of the Indira Gandhi government in 1974. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Katchatheevu deal has infuriated people, adding that the Congress can never be trusted.

Source: ANI / Times of India