Author: TELO Admin

EU and Sri Lanka to discuss GSP and other issues

Posted on | by TELO Admin | Leave a Comment on EU and Sri Lanka to discuss GSP and other issues

The European Union and Sri Lanka are to discuss the GSP Plus trade consession and other issues during the 25th Session of the Joint Commission between Sri Lanka and the EU to be held in Colombo.

The meeting, to be convened on 09 May 2023 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be co-chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Aruni Wijewardane and Deputy Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific of the European External Action Service of the EU Paola Pampaloni.

The Joint Commission will deliberate on a broad range of bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest to both sides and discuss areas for future cooperation.

The outcome of the three Working Groups established under the Joint Commission namely, the Working Group on Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights; the Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation; and the Working Group on Development Cooperation will also be discussed in detail during the meeting. The European Union delegation will brief on the new cycle of the EU GSP Regulation to be adopted for 2024 – 2033, which will be effective from 1 January 2024 for the next 10 years.

The Sri Lanka delegation will consist of representatives of the Ministries of Finance, Economic Stabilization & National Policies, Justice, Prison Affairs & Constitutional Reforms, Trade, Commerce & Food Security, Labour & Foreign Employment, Education, Environment, Defence, Fisheries, Public Security, Urban Development & Housing and the Attorney General’s Department as well as senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The previous session of the Joint Commission meeting was held in February 2022 in Brussels.

Posted in Uncategorized

SLPP Dismayed Over President’s Indifference To Demands: Decides Not To “Push For” Ministerial Positions

Posted on | by TELO Admin | Leave a Comment on SLPP Dismayed Over President’s Indifference To Demands: Decides Not To “Push For” Ministerial Positions

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is reportedly dismayed by President Ranil Wickramasinghe’s indifference to their demands for ministerial appointments. According to a senior spokesman for the party, the SLPP has taken a firm decision not to provoke the President by continuously demanding ministerial positions.

The party had previously requested 10 Cabinet Ministerships from President Wickramasinghe in writing, but he has been delaying the allocation of ministerial positions for various reasons. Despite this, the SLPP has stated that their work will continue regardless of whether the President gives them ministerial appointments or not.

The spokesman emphasized that the SLPP supported Mr. Wickramasinghe only to continue the remainder of the reign given to Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. He claimed that the President had initially announced that he would give ministerial positions to the SLPP before the budget, and then again after the Independence Day ceremony. However, ministerial positions were not given, and it was later announced that they would be given after the receipt of the loan amount from the International Monetary Fund.

The SLPP spokesperson has also stated that there may be an ulterior motive behind the delay in giving ministerial positions to the party. While the exact motive remains unknown, it has led to increasing frustration among SLPP members.

Navy officer summoned by Mullaitivu court over threatening journalist

Posted on | by TELO Admin | Leave a Comment on Navy officer summoned by Mullaitivu court over threatening journalist

An intelligence official from the Sri Lankan Navy has been summoned by the Mullaitivu court over threatening and obstructing a leading Tamil Journalist for covering an event organized by the relatives of those who were victims of enforced disappearance.

The ruling was delivered on World Media Freedom Day in which the Jaffna Press Club held a protest condemning ongoing attacks against freedom of expression, particularly in the north and east of the country.

The grieving mothers and relatives of those who disappeared after surrendering to the army at the end of the brutal civil war which came to a bloody end in May 2009, are still searching for them, braving their physical and mental fatigue.

At least 160 relatives have died in the continuous struggle launched over six years ago.

Journalist Shanmugam Thavaseelan, who is also the head of the press club in the war-ravaged Mullaitivu was covering a rally by the enforced disappeared persons families on 07 April 2019 from the District Secretariat to the Vadduvakal bridge in the district.

While journalists including him were covering the event, an unidentified person was filming media personnel and the protestors apart from threatening them. As the protestors attempted to stop the filming, Thavaseelan intervened and enquired who the said person was and why he was filming the protest, and its coverage on his mobile phone.

Instead of answering, the said person attempted to flee the place, the protestors chased and apprehended him upon which he admitted he was a naval officer.

Mullaitivu police did not arrive at the scene despite requests to come. Hence the person caught by the protestors and the public was taken to the Gotabaya Naval camp, where the officials confirmed he was a naval officer. Subsequently, he was handed over to the police who arrived at the camp and the protestors returned back.

Thereafter, the said Naval officer filed cases in the Mullaitivu police station under false pretexts against the journalists. Thavaseelan was subsequently summoned by the police, arrested, produced in court, and released on bail.

The case continued and when it came up for a hearing on May 04 at the Mullaitivu Magistrate’s Court, the petitioner did not turn up for the hearing. Mullaitivu Magistrate T. Saravanaraja adjourned the case after issuing summons to the petitioner – the naval intelligence officer to court on September 21.

Locals say the petition by the naval officer against journalist Thavaseelan is ‘frivolous and devoid of merit and nothing but an act of vendetta’.

Thavaseelan has been covering issues including state sponsored offences in the most militarised area of the island despite intimidation, death threats and assaults mainly by security forces.

Lankan envoy meets Principal Secretary to the Indian PM

Posted on | by TELO Admin | Leave a Comment on Lankan envoy meets Principal Secretary to the Indian PM

High Commissioner Moragoda continues dialogue with the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India

Continuing his ongoing dialogue with the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in New Delhi Milinda Moragoda met with the former at the Prime Minister’s Office.

High Commissioner Moragoda thanked Dr. Mishra for the support India has been extending to Sri Lanka in the context of the present economic crisis and updated him on the current developments in that regard, including on the debt restructuring process. The High Commissioner stressed the vital role that economic integration between the two countries could play in Sri Lanka’s economic recovery. The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister recalled India’s close civilizational links with its southern neighbour.

High Commissioner Moragoda also followed up with the Principal Secretary on a range of issues pertaining to the bilateral relationship that had been discussed during their last meeting in February. The matters discussed included further economic integration between Sri Lanka and India, enhancing Indian investments and tourism in Sri Lanka, ways and means to further promote bilateral trade, cooperation in power and energy sector as well as aspects relating to Rupee trade.

A cabinet rank official, Dr. Mishra has been serving as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since September 2019.

The Joint Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office Ambassador Deepak Mittal and Sri Lanka’s Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi Niluka Kadurugamuwa also attended this meeting.

Sri Lanka, India step up talks to proceed with trade in Indian Rupee

Posted on | by TELO Admin | Leave a Comment on Sri Lanka, India step up talks to proceed with trade in Indian Rupee

India and Sri Lanka have stepped up their talks to proceed with trade in Indian Rupee.

Discussions related to matter was held during a meeting between Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Dehli Milinda Moragoda and Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, a cabinet rank official in India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.

High Commissioner Moragoda held talks with Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra to continue the bilateral dialogue between the two nations on a number of issues, including on debt restructuring matters crucial for Sri Lanka’s economic recovery.

“The High Commissioner stressed the vital role that economic integration between the two countries could play in Sri Lanka’s economic recovery,” an official readout stated.

“High Commissioner Moragoda also followed up [Pramod Kumar Mishra] on a range of issues pertaining to the bilateral relationship that had been discussed during their last meeting in February,” the readout added, while referring to a previous round of bilateral talks between New Delhi and Colombo that addressed former’s support for latter’s economic recovery alongside aforementioned matters of bilateral cooperation.

“The matters discussed included further economic integration between Sri Lanka and India, enhancing Indian investments and tourism in Sri Lanka, ways and means to further promote bilateral trade, cooperation in power and energy sector as well as aspects relating to Rupee trade,” the official readout stated further.

Several banks in Sri Lanka have opened special rupee trading accounts, called Vostro accounts.

This means that Sri Lankan citizens can now hold $10,000 (₹8,26,823) in physical form and for transactions with their Indian counterparts, they can use Indian rupees instead of US dollars.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration since July 2022, has been looking to bring countries that are short of dollars, into its rupee settlement mechanism.

Designating Indian Rupee as a legal currency in Sri Lanka has provided India’s coastal neighbour at its south much-needed liquidity support to help tide over its economic crisis amid inadequate availability of the US dollar.

Meanwhile, India’s finance ministry has asked the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) and the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) to proceed with an awareness campaign to sensitise stakeholders about the rupee trade.

Posted in Uncategorized

Sri Lanka’s poverty rate has doubled – World Bank

Posted on | by TELO Admin | Leave a Comment on Sri Lanka’s poverty rate has doubled – World Bank

Sri Lanka’s poverty rate continued to increase in 2021, and it then doubled between 2021 and 2022, from 13.1 to 25 percent, the World Bank, in its bi-annual report said.

“This increase has added an additional 2.5 million people into poverty in 2022,” the report highlighted.

Households experiencing food insecurity are reducing their spending on health and education. Rising food insecurity has also led to increases in malnutrition and stunting – up from 7.4 percent in 2021 to 9.4 percent in 2022.

Poverty is projected to remain above 25 percent in the next few years due to the multiple risks to households’ livelihoods, the World Bank said.

The negative economic outlook for 2023 and 2024 and adverse effects of revenue-mobilizing reforms could worsen poverty projections, according to the World Bank.

Posted in Uncategorized

Four governors fired

Posted on | by TELO Admin | Leave a Comment on Four governors fired

The President’s Office has directed four provincial governors to step down following complaints received by parliamentarians representing the provinces.

Accordingly, the decision has been conveyed to Eastern Province Governor Anuradha Yahampath, North Western Province Governor Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, Uva Province Governor A.J.M. Muzammil and Sabaragamuwa Governor Tikiri Kobbekaduwa.

New governors will be named soon after President Ranil Wickremesinghe returns to the country after attending the coronation of Britain’s new King Charles III in London yesterday.

Eastern province Governor Yahampath told the Sunday Times she had been informed by the President’s Office not to go ahead with a development plan under the brother province concept with Yunnan Province in China.

She said she was not aware whether this was the reason why she was called upon to quit.

The Governor of the Yunnan province was due to meet Ms. Yahampath next week.

Mr. Muzammil told the Sunday Times he was ready to step down from the post, as he had been officially informed of the decision.

The Sunday Times learns that decision to request the governors to step down had been based on parliamentarians’ complaints about the governors’ unwillingness to work with them in the provinces.

New governors are expected to be appointed for five provinces

Posted on | by TELO Admin | Leave a Comment on New governors are expected to be appointed for five provinces

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has asked governors of several provinces to resign, according to the President’s Office.

A senior spokesperson of the President’s Office said that the resignation of governors when a president resigns and a new president is appointed is similar to the resignation of the cabinet when the prime minister resigns.

However, after the current president took office, the governors did not resign according to that tradition, so the President waited for some time for them to resign, said the spokesman.

Accordingly, the President’s office has informed the governors of several provinces to resign. Sources in the President’s Office state that these include the Northern, Eastern, Sabaragamuwa, Uva and North-Western provinces.

After the resignation of those governors, new governors will be appointed after the President’s return to the country from his visit to the UK.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Anuradha Yahampath, Governor of the Eastern Province, has hinted that she will have to resign from the post of Governor in the next few days. While addressing a Vesak ceremony held last night (6) in Trincomalee, Mrs. Anuradha Yahampath said that this may be the last time she will address the people of the province as the governor.

Police attempt to disrupt protest against north land grabbing thwarted

Posted on | by TELO Admin | Leave a Comment on Police attempt to disrupt protest against north land grabbing thwarted

An attempt by the police to disrupt a protest in Kankesanthurai in the north against alleged land grabbing, by preventing supplies to Tamil protestors, has been thwarted.

A three day agitation began on May 03 against a temple newly-constructed by the Army in Walikamam North.

Protestors charged private land had been acquired without the permission of the area’s land officer to construct Tissa Vihara.

Five protestors arrested by the police have been released on bail.

Mallakam magistrate Gayatri Selavan visited the place said people had a right to protest.

The Army said the pinnacle of the Stupa at the temple was placed on April 27.

It added that the temple dates back to third century BC and was built by King Devanampiyatissa.

However, protestors say 6.2 acres of land belonging to 14 Tamil families had been acquired by force to build the temple.

On the first day of the protest, police and the protestors were involved in a heated exchange of words, after which the police barricaded the area and prevented water, food and medicines from reaching them. On the following day, the Human Rights Commission intervened and the supplies resumed.

Tamil MPs Mavai Senadhiraja, Sivagnanam Sridharan, Dharmalingam Siddarthan, M.A. Sumanthiran and Angajan Ramanathan visited the protestors and extended their support.

Sumanthiran said the Thelippalai regional development committee decided in 2021 not to permit the temple’s construction and the divisional secretary too, has not given the permission.