Author: TELO Admin

The 15th anniversary of the assassination of The Sunday Leader founder Editor-in-Chief Lasantha Wickrematunge, which falls on Monday, 8 January, will be marked with a service at his graveside.

Family, friends, former colleagues, and others will gather at Borella Kanatte at 9 a.m. to mark the anniversary and remember Lasantha.

Assassinated on 8 January 2009, Lasantha was one of Sri Lanka’s leading journalists and an outspoken critic of the then Rajapaksa Government. He was attacked as he drove to work and later died of his injuries.

The brazen attack was carried out by two gunmen on motorcycles in the middle of morning-rush-hour traffic.

The investigation into Lasantha’s murder has yielded no tangible results thus far and his killers still roam free, 15 years later.

The talented young artist Kilmisha Yaazhisai, hailing from Jaffna, has garnered both regional and national acclaim by clinching victory in the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs Season 3 on Zee Tamil. The musical prodigy recently had the honor of meeting President Ranil Wickremesinghe during his visit to Jaffna, where he extended his heartfelt congratulations to the young star.

Kilmisha Yaazhisai, whose melodic prowess has enchanted audiences and judges alike, emerged triumphant in the popular Indian television singing competition. Her exceptional talent not only brought pride to her hometown but also captured the attention of the nation.

President Wickremesinghe, during his visit to Jaffna and as part of engaging with various stakeholders in the Northern province, took a moment to meet Kilmisha Yaazhisai. The President, visibly delighted by the young artist’s achievement, offered his sincere congratulations on her victory in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs Season 3.

In a gesture of camaraderie and celebration, President Wickremesinghe and Kilmisha Yaazhisai posed for a selfie, capturing the joyous moment. The meeting is symbolic of the President’s recognition of the immense talent that exists within Sri Lanka, especially in regions that have often been in the spotlight for their cultural richness.

Kilmisha Yaazhisai’s accomplishment serves as an inspiration to aspiring musicians and artists across the country, emphasizing the importance of nurturing and celebrating local talent.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized the imperative for the full development of the Northern Province within the next five years under a unified plan.

Highlighting the Western Province’s pivotal role, contributing over 50% to the country’s economy and currently serving as the primary engine, the President asserted the commitment to strengthen the nation’s economy through five main engines, encompassing the South, North, Central Province and the North-West.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe conveyed these directives during his participation in the special District Coordination Committee meeting for Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and Mannar districts, which convened today (05) at the Vavuniya District Cultural Hall.

Extensive discussions were conducted on the challenges in the domains of education, health, resettlement, land, electricity, water, tourism, forestry and fisheries in the districts of Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu. The President actively engaged in addressing some of these issues by working towards effective solutions.

Furthermore, the President highlighted the strategic vision to transform Colombo, Kandy and the Northern Province as the three main centres of education in the country, emphasizing a focused effort to enhance educational development in Sri Lanka.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, providing additional remarks, expressed:

“Our country’s economy has traditionally relied on a single engine, namely the Western Province, which contributes over 50% to the national economy. However, the economic contributions from other provinces have been relatively modest. To propel our nation forward swiftly, it is imperative to diversify and strengthen the engines that drive economic growth. We have identified five provinces—South, North, West, Central and North-West as focal points for cultivating robust economies that will contribute significantly to Sri Lanka’s national economic landscape.

Currently, the country possesses financial stability, enabling the resumption of stalled projects. Additionally, projects reliant on foreign aid have regained momentum, capitalizing on the available financial strength.

Furthermore, the Northern Province possesses significant potential to substantially enhance the national economy of the country. The unique wind and thermal conditions in the Northern Province create ample opportunities for renewable energy production. By harnessing the energy potential of the Northern Province, surplus energy can be exported to India, generating additional revenue. Conversations on this matter have already been initiated.

The farmers in the Northern Province exhibit remarkable talent and efficiency. Through the implementation of the Agricultural Modernization Program, there is the potential to establish export agriculture, thereby maximizing the productivity of farmland in the Northern Province.

Minister of Transport, Highways, and Mass Media Dr. Bandula Gunawardena expressed appreciation for President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s commendable role in steering the country towards economic stability during a challenging period of severe recession.

Upon assuming office, President Wickremesinghe faced critical shortages, including gas, fuel and electricity cuts lasting up to ten hours. The foreign reserves had depleted to zero. Despite these challenges, the President implemented measures to fortify the economy, ultimately facilitating the resumption of development projects in the Northern Province. In a recent development, the President directed the acceleration of road projects in the Northern Province, while initiatives are underway to enhance transportation and promote tourism in the region.

Recognizing the challenges faced by farmers in transporting their crops, arrangements have been made to provide a train for goods transportation, enabling storage and market accessibility. Furthermore, the President has instructed the provision of buses from India to every depot in the Northern Province, aiming to expedite the overall development of the region.

Governor of the Northern Province, Mrs. P. S. M. Charles reported that the Jaffna district achieved a milestone by producing the top results in the recent G.C.E. Advanced -Level Examination across the island. Additionally, the Northern Province demonstrated commendable performance in the G.C.E. Ordinary Level Examinations. Plans are underway to establish an education zone by amalgamating the Madhu and Thunukkai areas.

Dedicated and efficient efforts from teachers are contributing to the development of education in the Northern Province, a positive trend that is cause for satisfaction. The administration is actively addressing issues within the health sector.

Acknowledging a lack of a formal system for transporting farmers’ crops in the province, the Governor expressed the intention to engage in discussions with the Minister of Transport to explore and implement viable solutions.

State Minister Mr. Kader Mastan, expressed gratitude to President Ranil Wickremesinghe for his continued attention and efforts to address the needs of their area during his recent visit.

In the Mullaitivu district, steps have been taken to release the necessary land for agriculture, and there is a request to extend this initiative to areas surrounding ponds for agricultural purposes. Additionally, the Minister urged the President to provide solutions to challenges related to the maintenance of elephant fences and fishing issues.

Member of Parliament Kulasingham Thilipan acknowledged and appreciated the significant announcement regarding the release of land in the Vavuniya district by the Department of Forestry, marking the first instance of such an initiative. Gratitude was extended to President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the relevant authorities for this positive development.

Furthermore, the Member of Parliament highlighted the President’s proposal to boost milk production in the Vavuniya district and requested the release of the necessary pastures to support and implement this proposal.

Member of Parliament, Mr. Charles Nirmalanathan expressed gratitude to the President for his visit, acknowledging the release of two out of three political prisoners, as announced during the budget session. However, he highlighted that approximately 12 political prisoners, arrested during the last war, are still awaiting special permission for release or bail.

Member of Parliament, Mr. Selvam Adaikkalanathan noted that despite the end of the war, significant development work in Vavuniya has not taken place. He commended President Ranil Wickremesinghe for focusing on this issue and expressed hope for appropriate solutions with the on-going confidence-building efforts in land release. Additionally, he urged prompt development work for hospitals in the district.

The gathering included Minister of Transport, Highways, and Mass Media Bandula Gunawardena, State Minister Cader Mastan, Member of Parliament Wajira Abeywardena, Chairman of the Vavuniya District DCC – Member of Parliament MrKulasingham Pradeepan, Mr. Selvam Adekkalanathan, Mr. Charles Nirmalanathan, Mr S. Noharathalingam, Northern Province Governor Ms. P.S.M. Charles, President’s Secretary Mr. Saman Ekanayake, President’s Trade Union Director General Mr. Saman Ratnapriya, Director General Community Affairs Mr. Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon, Vavuniya District Secretary Mr. P.A. Sarath Chandra, and other public representatives from Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu districts, along with various government officials.

–PMD–

Sri Lanka’s recent decision to enact a moratorium on foreign Marine Scientific Research (MSR) vessel visits to the strategically placed island nation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), is a short-term solution to what will become a bigger headache in the coming years.

The moratorium essentially buys Sri Lanka some breathing space to navigate around geopolitical rivalry and diplomatic pressure in 2024, which is a crucial year for the island, in terms of economic and political stability, with the possibility of multiple elections on the horizon.

However, Sri Lanka needs to formulate a robust strategy to deal with MSR visit requests, which will likely increase in the coming years, as tensions between India – China – and the United States are likely to continue to complicate situations for the littoral states of the IOR.

India, the United States and others have exerted significant diplomatic pressure on Sri Lanka regarding the high frequency of Chinese MSR visits to the island nation.

Sri Lankan policymakers and those who craft foreign policy, need to fully grasp that China has long-term designs for the IOR, and that Chinese presence in the “Indian Ocean” will only grow in the coming years. China, seems to be borrowing a page from the British Empire, US and Soviet “Cold War” period playbooks, and has begun “patrolling” and seeking basing options for the PLA Navy along its lengthy lines of communication (supply routes).

With a significant tonnage of China’s energy supply, raw materials, and exported goods traversing through the Indian Ocean, China is clearly trying to ensure that its supply chain vulnerabilities are reduced.

While China is now pushing hard to expand its maritime science boundaries and build expertise, the kind of joint research they have collaboratively carried out thus far with local institutions, are yet to deliver significant scientific results which have global implications.

Further, China’s track record of playing by the international rule book when it comes to maritime matters, is problematic. China’s reaction to international law and verdicts about its claim to disputed maritime territories in the South China Sea, paints a poor picture.

In what may be indicative of what’s in store for the future, China recently began to refer to the IOR as the “China-Indian Ocean Region” (CIOR), at a recent conference on “Boosting Sustainable Blue Economy to Build Together a Maritime Community with a Shared Future,” which was held in the Yunnan Province of China, in early December, 2023.

The United States several years ago ‘re-envisaged’ the Indian Ocean as the ‘Indo-Pacific’ to suite its strategic aims. The re-designation of the IOR as China-Indian Ocean Region indicates China’s ambitions, and how it views the world, where a rising China wants to become a “superpower”.

Such re-envisioning of the IOR along with projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), will see China shift focus towards the Indian Ocean in the coming years.

The Chinese long-range fishing fleet, and MSR’s equipped with unmanned and autonomous systems will increase their visits to the IOR. Already, several Chinese MSR’s have been flagged by some South East Asian countries for operating with their Automatic Ship Identification (AIS) tracking systems shut off, in what is termed as “going dark”, deifying international law.

Further, several such vessels have been accused of deploying autonomous undersea and surface craft to collect scientific data in coastal waters and in the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of Southeast Asian Countries to collect data, which also have military applications, without the expressed permission of such countries.

As such, Sri Lanka needs to move swiftly to formulate well thought-out foreign policy measures to deal with what could be an escalation of the Chinese inroads to the IOR, though these have been mostly legitimate under international law to date.

It is said that the Government is reviewing its foreign policy, in tandem with a defence review which is also said to be ongoing. With both “reviews” lacking transparency, or Parliamentary oversight, let’s hope that they are actually taking place, with the competent subject matter experts being consulted, and would not end up like many other “reviews” which have in the past only rubber-stamped the ideas which a few politicians and their advisors deem fit for the nation.

It is also incumbent on the Government and policymakers to ensure that such key policy matters are not “shelved” due to 2024 being an “election” year. Given the weak economic state Sri Lanka finds herself this year, the state and policymakers cannot afford to be distracted by an “election fever” and become complacent regarding critical foreign policy challenges.

Former Parliamentarian of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Dayasritha Tissera has joined the alliance of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).

Tissera, who met with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, has vowed to support the SJB’s political program.

Furthermore, the Opposition Leader has appointed Tissera as the SJB’s Organizer of the Naththandiya electoral district.

The largest SLPP dissident group led by Dullas Alahapperuma too has split over the call made by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) to form a wider alliance against the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government, political sources said.

Prof. G. L. Peiris, Dilan Perera and Dr. Nalaka Godahewa have pledged their support to the SJB whereas the others led by Dullas Alahapperuma have decided to operate as a separate group. Prof. Peiris, Perera and Godahewa have already addressed the media at the Opposition Leader’s Office, pledging their support for SJB leader Sajith Premadasa.

Initially, the group of dissidents led by Alahapperuma consisted of 13 MPs.

The Opposition Leader has also secured the support of SLFPer Shan Wijelal de Silva, who also contested the last general election on the SLPP ticket.