Sri Lanka Friday reported 82 deaths due to COVID-19 after the figures were confirmed by the Director General of Health Services on Thursday, September 23.
Among the deaths reported today, 51 are of males and 31 of females. The majority of deaths – 61- are of elderly people in the 60 years and above age group.
According to the data reported by the Government Information Department, the total deaths due to Covid-19 since the pandemic began last year has now risen to 12,530.
Sri Lankan students of grades 1 to 5 in schools with a student population of 200 or fewer may soon be able to go back to school, according to Education Ministry Secretary Kapila Perera.
Sri Lanka has 5,131 schools of fewer than 200 students, said Perera. Of the total 10,155 schools in the island, he said, 3,884 only have grades 1 to 5.
“Governors of all provinces have conveyed to the education minister that all of these schools can be reopened,” he told reporters on Friday (24).
“Starting today, inspection will take place physically to ascertain whether students can be safely accommodated in the school premises,” he said.
In 2021, schools in Sri Lanka were initially closed from March 12 to April 20. Authorities were forced to shut down schools again on April 27 with the emergence of the Delta-variant led third wave of the epidemic. Schools have remained shut since.
Additional Secretary L M D Dharmasena a paediatrician has been named for every local area on the request of the education ministry secretary. The paediatrician will oversee matters of public health concerning students in his or her respective area.
“We ask academic staff to revamp the school sick rooms, and bring students back to school under health protocols,” said Dharmasena.
However, school teachers and principals in Sri Lanka have been on strike since July 12 demanding a solution to longstanding salary anomalies and other issues pertaining to online education.
Though several rounds of discussions have taken place, it is unclear when teachers can be expected to return to school, even if schools reopen in the near future.
Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena declared school teachers’ and principals’ services as a “closed service” on August 31.
Both teachers’ and principals’ services are under the public service. But declaring them a closed service will allow the government to treat teachers and principals separately from the rest of the public service when resolving their demands of salary anomalies, wages, transfers, and other benefits.
“The implementation of the national decision to close down the teachers’ service will be implemented in the next few months,” Gunawardena said at the time, adding that the cabinet had decided to issue a gazette before November 20 declaring the services a closed service.
Meanwhile, on Friday, Sri Lanka started vaccinating children over 12 years of age with congenital health isues in Colombo, Kurunegala and Anuradhapura districts.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has instructed Sri Lanka Customs to immediately clear all essential food items currently in the port, the Prime Minister’s Media Division stated.
This directive was issued during the Cost of Living (CoL) Committee meeting held today (24).
Accordingly, the Controller General of Imports and Exports and the Director-General of Customs have been informed on the same.
The Premier advised to release and distribute the essentials to the general public through the importers of essential goods and Sathosa outlets.
Sri Lanka’s Hambantota International Port (HIP) has entered into a memorandum of understanding with bus manufacturer Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Co., Ltd. in China’s Fujian Province, HIP said in a statement here on Thursday.
The MOU was signed at the King Long Motor Group offices in Fujian last week and was attended by representatives from the Hambantota International Ports Group (HIPG) and Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China Palitha Kohona.
Ambassador Kohona said “Sri Lanka welcomes Chinese high-end manufacturing facilities setting up in Sri Lanka and commends King Long for choosing the Hambantota International Port Group’s Industrial Park to expand its regional footprint.”
HIPG CEO Johnson Liu said “We believe there is a great synergy to be achieved between China and Sri Lanka trade. The Hambantota Industrial Park is being promoted globally and it is our goal to have a vibrant international investor community operating within the zone.”
King Long Motor Group Vice President Zhang Bin said “With the Hambantota Port being so strategically located, we would be able to reach newer markets in South East Asia.”
Huge crowds, including women and children, gathered outside United Nations in New York, to protest against Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa speaking at the UN General Assembly. This Protest was organized by Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE).
In a press statement issued by TGTE, “It is reported that Gotabaya avoided using the main entrance and used the back door to enter the building. Due to this protest there was large number of police stationed in the protest area.
Several victims of Gotabaya were also present in the rally, giving interview to the international press.
Rally Highlighted Sri Lankan President Gothabaya’s Leadership Role in Committing Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity against Tamil people. Gothabaya was the Defense Secretary when According to UN Tens of Thousands of Tamils were Killed and Tamil Women were Raped by the Sri Lankan Security forces.
Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) also sent information to the UN member States about Gotabaya’s Leadership Role in Committing Atrocity Crimes.”
Sri Lanka Thursday reported 72 deaths due to COVID-19 after the figures were confirmed by the Director General of Health Services on Wednesday, September 22.
Among the deaths reported today, 42 are of males and 30 of females. The majority of deaths – 60- are of elderly people in the 60 years and above age group.
According to the data reported by the Government Information Department, the total deaths due to Covid-19 since the pandemic began last year has now risen to 12,448.
Government of Sri Lanka’s (GoSL’s) non-demand-pull inflationary face value money printing (FVMP) debt increased by 0.29 per cent (Rs 4,572 million) to a new record high of Rs 1,607,398.46 million (Rs 1.6074 trillion) yesterday. GoSL’s highest to the seventeenth highest FVMP debt has been registered in the 17 consecutive market days to yesterday, though not necessarily in a particular order.
The highest, Rs 1.6074 trillion was recorded yesterday, second highest Rs 1.6071 trillion was recorded on Friday 17 September, the third highest figure of Rs 1.6028 trillion was recorded on Tuesday 21 September, the fourth highest 1.5776 trillion was on Thursday 16 September, the fifth highest Rs 1.5560 trillion on Tuesday 14 September, the sixth highest Rs 1.5498 trillion on Wednesday 15 September, the seventh highest Rs 1.5429 trillion on Monday 13 September, eighth highest FVMP debt of Rs 1.5409 trillion on 10 September, ninth highest figure of Rs 1.5324 trillion on 8 September, tenth highest figure of Rs 1.5307 trillion on 7 September, eleventh highest figure of Rs 1.5306 trillion on 9 September, twelfth highest figure of Rs 1.5285 trillion on 3 September, thirteenth highest figure of Rs 1.5279 trillion on 6 September, fourteenth highest figure of Rs 1.5118 trillion on 2 September, fifteenth highest figure of Rs 1.4991 trillion on 1 September, sixteenth highest figure of Rs 1.3658 trillion on 31 August and the seventeenth highest figure of Rs 1.3177 trillion on 30 August respectively.
GoSL’s FVMP debt has been over Rs 1 trillion for a record 44 consecutive market days to yesterday (Wednesday 22 September) due to a lack of revenue. MP is equivalent to the face value holdings of Treasury (T) Bills and T Bonds by Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). CBSL is the only mandated authority to print money in the country.
A protest was held in New York yesterday (22) demanding justice for the victims of the Easter attack, as Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was set to address the United Nations General Assembly.
The protest was organised by the Sinhalese diaspora in the United States in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Carrying placards, the group demanded that the Sri Lankan government deliver justice to the victims of the Easter Sunday attack that took place in April 2019.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly yesterday (22), President Rajapaksa assured that his Government is committed to ensuring that such violence never takes place in Sri Lanka again.
However, a growing trend of protests by Sri Lankans in countries or regions visited by Sri Lankan leaders has been observed in recent times. Similar protests by Sri Lankans were held in both Italy and France recently.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has briefed Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) alliance members on the decision to go ahead with a controversial Liquefied natural gas (LNG) deal.
The Prime Minister met the leaders of the political parties in the SLPP at Temple Trees today and had talks with them for approximately two hours.
The Prime Minister’s Office said that the advantage of the Yugadanavi Power Plant in Kerawalapitiya was noted at the talks.
The Covid-19 situation, the budget and other matters were also discussed at the meeting.
Former President Maithripala Sirisena and Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa were among those who attended the meeting.
US based New Fortress Energy yesterday announced that it had signed the LNG deal with Sri Lanka.
New Fortress Energy said that they have executed a definitive agreement for New Fortress’ investment in West Coast Power Limited (“WCP”), the owner of the 310 MW Yugadanavi Power Plant based in Kerawalapitiya, along with the rights to develop a new LNG Terminal off the coast of Colombo.
Some Government Ministers had earlier raised concerns over the proposed deal.
Tamil National People’s Front MP Selvarasa Gajendran and two others who were arrested in Jaffna by holding a remembrance event for Thileepan, have been released on police bail, says the Police Spokesman.
Sri Lankan police stepped up their presence in Jaffna today, after filing a court injunction at Jaffna Magistrate Court, to ban any commemorative events organised to remember Thileepan’s sacrifice.
During the arrest, the Police manhandled Kajendran and forcefully pushed him into the van. Later, the MP has been released on bail.
Police said they were arrested for violating quarantine laws by holding a commemoration event in remembrance of ‘Thileepan’, a political wing leader of the LTTE who died while on hunger strike.
MP was arrested near the ‘Thileepan’ monument located at Nallur in Jaffna and that police are expected to record his statement.
Several representatives of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress had also reportedly attended the commemoration event.
Similar events commemorating ‘Thileepan’ had been held since September 15 organised by various Tamil political parties and political representatives, the reporter said.
