Author: TELO Admin

Sri Lankan media organizations have called on police authorities to guarantee that all investigations against journalists are conducted within legal provisions at all times.

They expressed particular concern for the safety of Keerthi Ratnayake, a defense and political analyst at Lanka e-News, who has been arrested and detained for 90 days.

The journalist consistently reported on the presence of Chinese troops in the island nation and had warned that the Indian embassy in Colombo was at risk of attack from Taliban extremists working in league with the Chinese government.

Seetha Ranjanee, convener of the Free Media Movement (FMM), said they met the inspector general of police on Aug. 24 and demanded that the arrested journalist be investigated under the prescribed legal provisions and his life protected against all harm.

Ranjanee said the Lanka e-News editorial board was concerned that the life of their journalist could be in danger.

“We request that accurate information pertaining to Ratnayake’s arrest be publicized. We also call on you to ensure that specific reasons for the arrest of journalists be made public at all times,” FMM said in a letter to police authorities.

What the government should do is arrest the masterminds behind the Easter bombings, not harass those who stand for justice like Gamage

The letter was also signed by the Federation of Media Employees Trade Union, Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association, Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, Tamil Media Alliance and Sri Lanka Young Journalists’ Association.

The media organizations pointed out that intimidation and threats to journalists hamper their freedom and restrict their professional work.

Thushara Wanniarachchi, a social media activist, said police officers had searched her house recently while unidentified people claiming to be from the criminal investigation department had tried to enter the residence of R. Sivarajah, the editor of Thamilan newspaper.

Punyamoorthy Sasikaran, a Tamil journalist in the Eastern Province, has been harassed for over two months. He was summoned to a special criminal investigation unit in Batticaloa on Aug. 23. The police had also recorded the personal details of his family members and warned them to be careful, he said.

Source:UCA News

The government has approved issuing tourist visa licenses valid for 180 days for tourists visiting Sri Lanka.

The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting held recently.

The approval will be granted for tourists requesting visas application process through the ‘Online Electronic Tourist Visa Activation System (ETA)’ implemented by the Department of Emigration and Immigration and through the Sri Lanka Tourist Mobile App.

The payments for the tourist visas mentioned above are as follows:

• US$70 for the tourists from SAARC countries, US $85 for the tourists from non – SAARC countries and US$50 for the tourists from Singapore, the Maldives and Seychells. (as per the bi-lateral agreement signed with those countries).

Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga says the quarantine curfew does not apply to tourists and investors.

Minister Ranatunga said they are allowed to function under strict health guidelines.

The Minister said the government hopes to uplift the economy and take the country forward while taking necessary steps to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

He made these comments during a discussion held with a group of Japanese delegates at the Tourism Ministry this morning.

Minister Ranatunga held lengthy discussions with the Japanese delegation, who represent the parent company involved in contracts of the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited, pertaining to the progress of ongoing projects.

Sri Lanka has been supplied with a USD 50 million financial grant by the Asian Development Bank to implement the ‘Health System Enhancing Project.

The sum comprises a loan of USD 37.5 million and a grant of USD 12.5 million.

Out of this, USD 15 million has already been allocated for COVID-19 pandemic situations related activities.

In addition, the ADB has consented to releasing an additional USD 125 million under the ‘Health System Enhancing Project’ and Cabinet approval has been granted to conduct discussions with the ADB to obtain this grant.

Sri Lanka’s rupee has fallen to as much as 221 to the US dollars in the importer market for large transactions, market participants said, with banks scrambling to find dollar give to importers who come with printed rupees seeking convertibility.

In the official market there is no price transparency after the central bank halted interbank spot market with a price control of around 200 to the US dollar, where margins have widened.

Though the central bank has been printing money mainly through failed bond auctions and also through its overnight window in a bid to control interest rates it is no longer providing convertibility for the printed money (interventions) for current transactions.

Without price transparency in a interbank spot market, the forex market has got dysfunctional leading to high margins.

“Dollars are bought at various rates based on the bargaining power of the seller and the willingness of a particular importer to buy,” a financial sector official said.

“Sometime the weighted average selling rate is high though some of the dollars have been bought at lower rates. This was not the case in previous currency crises when there was a spot market where the price was seen by everyone.”

“Banks used to keep very thin margins and sell in past crises. Private banks used to sell to CPC with a margin counted in cents.”

In the past margins widened in volatility but settled down when trading became more orderly.

Meanwhile export company accountants and treasury officials who sold at lower rates are also being unfairly blamed for questionable practices by their chief executives and shareholders, financial sector officials said.

“The fact is when importers are desperate to clear goods they pay and some exporters get high rates as a result,” a bank official said. “There is no corruption.”

The central bank said it was maintaining an ‘official’ exchange rate around 200 to the US dollar but it is no longer providing convertibility for the notes it is printing for current transactions.

Larger private banks are publishing rates of 206.50 to buy dollars and 211 to sell, while foreign banks are offering rates of 213 to buy and 221 to sell US dollar to importers.

State-run Bank of Ceylon is still publishing rates of 198.5 to 203.00 to the US dollar for small transactions.

The bank was earlier saying deals above 7,500 US dollars would be given at market rate, but it has since been lowered to 1,000 US dollars.

In the kerb, the rupee hit 232 to the US dollar, before lockdowns stopped the business, those familiar with the market said.

Banks are also giving dollar notes for travellers at higher rates.

With large volume of money being printed the central bank is running low on reserves.

Last week the central bank raised the rate at which money is printed overnight to 6.00 percent from 5.50 percent and a ceiling rate for Treasury bill auctions to 5.93 percent.

The failed bill auctions create most of the forex shortages when state workers are paid with the money, or existing bond holders get hold of printed rupees, analysts have said.

The Sinhala Ravaya Party filed a fundamental rights (FR) petition in the Supreme Court (SC) against the Covid-19 vaccination programme and making vaccination cards mandatory to visit public places from 15 September.

Releasing a statement in this regard yesterday (24), Sinhala Ravaya said that the people have a right to adopt an arbitrary method of survival against Covid-19, as well as the right to make its own decisions on whether or not to accept the Covid-19 vaccines.

“This is a fundamental right of the people as a whole. It should be noted that these decisions of the Government have also violated it. A person who does not have any disease or does not take any medicine should not be vaccinated by force or by intimidation such as by informing them that they are to be deprived of the opportunities that they rightfully deserve in society, should they refuse the vaccine. Vaccination should be done in a way that is acceptable to the society and it must therefore be placed for societal recognition and anyone should have the right to both accept it or not, and in the case of the latter, to, in turn, choose a method of treatment of choice. This right must be recognized by the Government as it is their duty and responsibility to do so.”

The Sinhala Ravaya Party previously filed a complaint on 16 August with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) against the alleged violation of human rights in connection with the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

“The country should consider a vaccination programme when there is no alternative. There is not much research done yet on the side effects of these vaccines. Also, the public should have the right to choose the vaccination. However, we can see that the Government’s vaccine process violates the human rights of Sri Lankans because they are making it compulsory,” the Party claimed at the time of filing the complaint.

The complaint also claims that it is illegal to prohibit the visiting of public places without carrying a vaccination card, as the authorities have already announced that they intend to do with regard to those above 30 years who remain unvaccinated for non medical reasons, since the Government cannot force the public to take such an action.

Meanwhile, a registered Ayurvedic doctor had lodged a complaint with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana D. Wickramaratne urging the latter to initiate legal action against the health authorities for allegedly allowing Covid-19 infected patients to die without treating them under the Ayurvedic healthcare system. The complainant B.A. Rathnapala, a registered medical practitioner at the Ayurvedic Medical Council had made this complaint, urging the IGP to take legal action under Sections 289 (wilful omission of statutory duty) and 298 (causing death by negligence) of the Penal Code as amended, against former Health Minister and incumbent Transport Minister Pavithra Devi Wanniarachchi, Primary Health Care, Epidemics and Covid-19 Disease Control State Minister Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, Indigenous Medicine Promotion, Rural and Ayurvedic Hospitals Development and Community Health State Minister Sisira Jayakody, Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Sanjeewa Munasinghe and the Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena for allegedly causing deaths by negligence. In his complaint, Dr. Rathnapala stated that it is a criminal offence to allow infected people to die in this manner without allowing them to have local medical treatment that can prevent deaths.