The Elections Commission said that it will be vested with the power to call for Local Government Elections after the 20th of September 2022.
The Chairman of the Election Commission Attorney-at-Law Nimal Punchihewa said the power will be vested with the Elections Commission as per the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance.
At present, the Minister-in-charge had taken measures to extend the tenure of all local government bodies by one year, until March 2023.
A massive people’s protest is planned for Saturday July 09 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government as the country goes through its worst fuel crisis on record.
Social media chatter on the protest indicates that citizens from around the country have been advised to congregate in Colombo in what the organisers claim will be the “greatest uprising in the history of Sri Lanka”.
Anuruddha Bandara, a youth activist who was recently arrested in connection with a protest and was subsequently released, said in a tweet that organisers are “trying their best” to get opposition parties Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB), Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and others onboard.
They are “almost in”, he said.
Sri Lanka is in the throes of the worst economic crisis in its 74-year post-Independence history, with unprecedented forex shortages leading to crippling shortages of essentials including fuel. A wave of protests, referred to as the Aragalaya (or struggle), demanding President Rajapaksa’s resignation began in April, culminating in an Occupy Wall Street-style permanent agitation site named GotaGoGama (Gota Go Village) right outside the presidential secretariat near Galle Face, Colombo.
Things took a turn when supporters of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa launched an unprovoked attack on peaceful protestors at GotaGoGama (GGG) and its sister site MynaGoGama (aimed at the then PM) on May 09, which triggered a storm of retaliatory mob violence against government ministers, MPs and their backers. One ruling party MP was killed.
The Galle Face protests have since reduced in intensity and crowd strength, particularly following incumbent Prime Minister Ranil Wickermesinghe’s replacement of Mahinda Rajapaksa. But skyrocketing commodity prices and a worsening fuel situation that’s resulted in miles-long queues for petrol have seen a quiet resurgence of public anger against the government.
Organisers expect the July 09 protest to rejuvenate the Aragayala.
However, with ongoing fuel shortages and public transport functioning at significantly reduced capacity, it is unclear how the organisers will be able to mobilise people from around the island.
Chaminda Dias, a protest organiser in Thimbirigasyaya, Colombo, said the July 09 will be an acid test.
“Our plan is to mobilise with the protestors at GGG. Since Wickremesinghe was appointed, there have been attempts made to dilute the protests, to silence it and whatnot. So July 09 will be a sort of acid test to see if people have the determination, if they have the strength to come out.
“The government will be watching of course, and we have to show that we are not frightened,” he said.
An internal investigation had been initiated by the Sri Lanka Army in connection with the incident at a petrol shed at Yaggahapitiya in Kurunegala where an Army officer attacked a civilian went viral on social media.
A video showing an Army officer kicking a man at a petrol shed was shared on social media and it was reported that the officer who attacked the civilian is a Lt. Colonel of the Sri Lanka Army.
Army Spokesman Brigadier Nilantha Premaratne said Army had begun an internal investigation into the incident.
However, he said according to the fuel shed owner and the officials, a group of men who were at the filling station had interrupted its operations. They were also reported to have verbally abused and interrupted the duties of the army and policemen who were on duty.
Officials suspect that the group might have wilfully created an unrest at the fuel station inviting a clash.
Meanwhile, the spokesman said two civilians had been arrested over the incident.
The Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake has said that the Parliament is scheduled to meet on the 4th, 5th and 6th of this week.
This was decided at the Committee on Parliamentary Business held last week under the chairmanship of Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, Speaker of Parliament.
On the 4th, from 10.00 am to 3.30 pm, the entire time is allotted for 50 Questions for Oral Answers that could not be taken up in Parliament previously due to various reasons.
When the Parliament convenes on the 5th of July at 10.00 am, Regulations under the Foreign Exchange Act, no. 12 of 2017, Two Orders under the Sri Lanka Export Development Act No. 40 of 1979 published under the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2270/20 and 2280/32, Resolution under the Custom ordinance, Resolutions under Section 8 of the Appropriation Act No. 7 of 2020 are scheduled to be approved following debate.
Furthermore, Six Orders under Special Commodity Levy Act, No. 48 of 2007 and Two Regulations under the Imports and Exports Control Act, No. 01 of 1969 published under the Gazette Extraordinary Nos. 2282/21 and 2282/22 are also scheduled to be approved following debate on the same day.
Thereafter, time has been allotted from 4.30 pm to 4.50 pm for Questions at the Adjournment Time and from 4.50 pm to 5.30 pm it has been decided to debate the Motion at the Adjournment Time brought by the Government.
Furthermore, on July 6th from 10.00 am to 10.30 am, time has been allotted to take up Prime Minister’s Questions. It was then decided to debate the Adjournment Motion brought by the Opposition until 4.30 pm on the “prevailing situation in the country”, Secretary General of Parliament Mr. Dhammika Dasanayake said.
Furthermore, due to the existing challenges, attention has been drawn at holding committee meetings online on days when the Parliament is not in session, and thus, it was decided to take necessary further actions.
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Parliamentarian Duminda Dissanayake on Friday said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa achieved something in two and a half years that LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had tried and failed to do in 30 years – ruin the country’s economy.
“Velupillai wanted to bring this country’s economy to its knees. That is why he launched attacks in Colombo and committed so many other acts. But we understand now that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa did in two and a half years what Prabhakaran could not do in 30 years,” he told a media conference in Colombo. The MP launched a scathing attack on the President and called for all parties to unite to bring down the current government.
Mr Dissanayake seems to be suffering from selective amnesia, for he made no mention of the fact that he and his SLFP colleagues were at the forefront of campaigning for Gotabaya Rajapaksa during the 2019 Presidential election. There was also no mention of how the SLFP aligned itself with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) during the 2020 Parliamentary elections, and how its MPs including Mr Dissanayake contested under the SLPP’s pohottuwa symbol and having won, voted for the 20th Amendment to give the President almost absolute power. Even now, some members of Mr Dissanayake’s party hold Cabinet portfolios in the current government.
Speaker speaks out: Advises media to black out blaggard MPs
Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has appealed to the media not to give publicity to unruly behaviour and crass speeches made by MPs in Parliament.
He made the request during a one-day workshop held for Parliamentary correspondents.
The Speaker said young MPs could learn much from going through speeches made by famous MPs such as Dr. N. M. Perera and Dr. Colvin R. de Silva, adding that he had instructed officials at the Parliament library to collect such speeches and provide copies to MPs.
The Speaker made no secret of how he felt about the quality of speeches made by MPs in the House to date.
“How many even stick to the topic they are supposed to be speaking on,” he asked.
The more publicity the media gives to vituperative speeches and unruly behaviour, the more emboldened those MPs would be to keep doing it because they are assured of more publicity, the Speaker said. Even former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya lamented on the quality of speeches and standard of behaviour of MPs of the previous Parliament.
It seems the voters keep sending the wrong people to represent them in the national legislature, or they have Hobson’s Choice considering the candidates presented to them by the different political parties.
Sri Lanka has less than a day’s worth of fuel left, the energy minister said Sunday, with public transport grinding to a halt as the country’s economic crisis deepened.
Petrol and diesel queues snaked through the capital for kilometres, though most pumping stations have been without fuel for days.
Energy minister Kanchana Wijesekera said petrol reserves in the country were about 4,000 tonnes, just below one day’s worth of consumption.
“The next petrol shipment is expected between the 22nd and 23rd (of July),” Wijesekera told reporters in Colombo.
Sri Lanka Left With Less Than A Day’s Worth Of Fuel: Sri Lankan Minister
Most shops were closed Sunday, with the situation expected to worsen on Monday. (File)
Colombo: Sri Lanka has less than a day’s worth of fuel left, the energy minister said Sunday, with public transport grinding to a halt as the country’s economic crisis deepened.
Petrol and diesel queues snaked through the capital for kilometres, though most pumping stations have been without fuel for days.
Energy minister Kanchana Wijesekera said petrol reserves in the country were about 4,000 tonnes, just below one day’s worth of consumption.
“The next petrol shipment is expected between the 22nd and 23rd (of July),” Wijesekera told reporters in Colombo.
“We have contacted other suppliers, but we can’t confirm any new supplies before the 22nd.”
Last week, cash-strapped Sri Lanka announced a two-week halt to all fuel sales except for essential services to save petrol and diesel for emergencies.
Most shops were closed Sunday, with the situation expected to worsen when banks and offices reopen on Monday.
Desperate people were seen trying to flag down the few vehicles on the road hoping for a ride.
Privately owned buses, which account for two-thirds of the country’s fleet, said they operated a skeleton service on Sunday as they were badly affected by the fuel shortage.
“We operated about 1,000 busses across the country out of the 20,000 owned by our members,” Private Bus Operators Association chairman Gemunu Wijeratne said.
“The situation will certainly get worse tomorrow because we have no way of getting diesel.”
He said services would be curtailed further on Monday and saw no immediate solution.
Three-wheel taxis — a popular last-mile transport — were also off the streets, with most seen in days-long queues to get a ration of six litres of petrol.
A shortage of foreign currency to finance even the most essential imports has led to the country’s worst economic crisis, with its 22 million people facing severe hardships daily.
The country has also faced record-high inflation and lengthy power blackouts since late last year.
All non-essential government institutions and schools have been ordered shut until July 10 to reduce commuting and save energy.
Local media reported there had been sporadic clashes outside fuel stations.
Last week, troops opened fire to disperse a mob protesting against the military jumping the queue.
Sri Lanka is currently in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a possible bailout after the country defaulted on its $51 billion external debt in April.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
All government and government-approved private schools across the country will remain closed this week, the Ministry of Education says.
The decision was taken at a virtual meeting held with the Education Ministry officials, provincial secretaries and directors of education today.
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The turnout of students, teachers and principals in schools and the Power & Energy Ministry’s fuel distribution process were taken up for discussion during the meeting.
Accordingly, it was decided that a week of holidays would be declared for government and government-approved private schools from 04th to 08th of July.
Train services may definitely be disrupted, says the Chairman of the Railway Station Master’s Association, Sumedha Somaratne.
Therefore, the disruption of train services becomes unavoidable if the Government does not take any step in this regard, he said.
“If this issue is not resolved, and if the railway service gets disrupted, the entire country will come to a standstill,” Somaratne warned.
Therefore, the Station Master’s Association Chairman added that they are eagerly awaiting the measures which the Minister may take to prevent this issue from taking place.
Sri Lankan companies will be able to purchase fuel on a weekly or daily basis if they are able to pay for the commodity in dollars one-month in advance, Minister of Fuel and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said, as the crisis-hit country scrambles to find dollars to pay its bills.
From July 12, any company that has the ability to pay for its fuel requirements can open a consumer account at Ceylon Petroleum Corporation to obtain a guaranteed quota.
“They need to pay a month in advance & fuel will be issued on a daily or weekly basis from the 12th (July). Already paid customers will receive their quota from the 12th,” Wijesekera said on Sunday (July 03).
Sri Lanka’s fuel stocks have almost run dry while the fuel queues continue to grow.
Related: Sri Lanka reveals low fuel stock levels
Previously, the minister said that the country’s money-printing central bank shot down a proposal to allow a few fuel stations to sell petrol in dollars on the grounds that dollars cannot be used for internal transactions at retail levels.
The minister highlighted that the state-run national carrier SriLankan Airlines and exporters were already paying for fuel in dollars, which is helping the CPC’s currency reserve.
Some new suppliers had previously asked for upfront payment to supply fuel while foreign banks are refusing to confirm Sri Lanka’s letter of credit.
Related: Foreign banks refuse to confirm Sri Lanka state bank letters of credit: Minister
Suppliers like Petro China, who used to give Sri Lanka 180 days of credit through LCs, are now asking for advance payment, Minister Wijesekera said.
Any Company/Industry that can pay In USD can open a consumer account at CPC to obtain a weekly guaranteed quota. They need to pay a month in advance & fuel will be issued on a daily or weekly basis from the 12th. Already paid customers will receive their quota from the 12th.
— Kanchana Wijesekera (@kanchana_wij) July 3, 2022
Sri Lanka is to continue to stand by the ‘one China policy’ and support to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Foreign Ministry said today.
The Foreign Ministry said that the assurance was given when the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor G.L. Peiris met with the Ambassador of China, Qi Zhenhong, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week.
Following the exchange of pleasantries, Minister Peiris appreciated China’s continued assistance to Sri Lanka.
The Foreign Minister also apprised the Ambassador of the current situation in the country and the shortage of fuel, food and pharmaceutical equipment which have adversely affected the economy of Sri Lanka. The Minister added that bilateral partners and international agencies are in regular discussions to address these challenges.
The Foreign Minister assured the Chinese Ambassador that Sri Lanka will continue to stand by ‘one China policy’ and pledged Sri Lanka’s unwavering support to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Minister mentioned that he held discussions with the leaders of 12 countries on the current situation in terms of in Sri Lanka on the flanks of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda and the assistance required by Sri Lanka at this critical juncture
He briefed the Ambassador on the ongoing discussion with the IMF for financial assistance as well as restructuring (reformulating) Sri Lanka’s debt. As well as the measures that are put in place by the Govt to address the most pressing issues.
The Chinese Envoy appreciated the Government of Sri Lanka position and its consistent stance on ‘one China policy’.
Ambassador Qi assured that the Chinese Government would remain engaged with Sri Lanka towards extending assistance to Sri Lanka in every possible manner.
The Foreign Minister extended Sri Lanka’s profound gratitude to the Government of China for their unstinted support. Senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials of the Chinese Embassy were present at the meeting.
