Category: Breaking News

The United Nations Human Rights Council should maintain its rigorous scrutiny of Sri Lanka’s worsening human rights situation and press for genuine improvements, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today.

At the Council’s upcoming session, which begins on September 13, 2021, UN member countries should express their alarm about the allegations on abuse and the weakening of independent governmental institutions, civilian governance, and the rule of law, the HRW stated further in its statement. “These countries should demonstrate their willingness to press the Sri Lankan government to meet its international human rights obligations.”

Speaking in this regard, Meenakshi Ganguly, the South Asia director at HRW said, “Since Gotabaya Rajapaksa took office in 2019, the limited progress Sri Lanka had made in addressing past atrocities and ending abuses has been disastrously reversed.

“Continued international attention and pressure can help reduce the risks faced by minority communities, activists, and journalists, who live in heightened fear of the authorities.”

Earlier in 2021, the Human Rights Council adopted an important resolution, 46/1, to advance accountability for alleged past rights violations and war crimes committed in Sri Lanka and the resolution also mandated regular reporting by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the HRW added, noting that the Rajapaksa administration, in 2020, had renounced the previous administration’s commitments to the Human Rights Council to provide justice and end abuses.

The New York-based non-governmental organization alleged that the administration is using its security and intelligence agencies to surveil and intimidate the families of abuse victims and others who are seeking to uphold human rights.

The statement further claimed that the authorities are using arrests and threats issued under the “draconian” Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to silence calls for justice in the Tamil majority north and east, and to arbitrarily detain Muslims in counterterrorism operations.

Foreign governments should take firm and coordinated action to press the Sri Lankan government to reverse course, the HRW emphasized. “The European Union should insist that Sri Lanka complies with its human rights obligations to maintain tariff free market access under GSP+, as should the United Kingdom under its similar program. Donor governments and multilateral agencies, such as the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, should immediately withhold support for Sri Lankan security forces until they take steps to halt and address violations, in compliance with UN due diligence standards.”

The HRW went on to stress that governments should also consider imposing targeted sanctions on senior figures implicated in alleged abuses, and pursue prosecutions under universal jurisdiction, as recommended by the UN human rights chief, Michele Bachelet, earlier this year.

“No one should be in any doubt that Sri Lanka’s human rights situation is deeply alarming and getting worse,” Ganguly said. “UN member states should recognize that the government is sensitive to international pressure, and make the protection of human rights in Sri Lanka their priority.”

A total of 131 more COVID-19 related deaths that occurred yesterday (09) were confirmed by the Director-General of Health Services today pushing the death toll to 10,995.

According to the Government Information Department, 58 females and 73 males are among the deceased.

A total of 110 people who are above 60 years of age are among the deceased while 20 of them are between 30 and 59 years of age.

One death has been reported below 30 years of age.

The ongoing island-wide quarantine curfew orders will stay in effect for another week, the Cabinet Spokesman, Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella announced today.

Accordingly, the restrictions will be effective until 4.00 a.m. on September 21 (Tuesday).

The decision to further extend the quarantine curfew was taken during the meeting of the Special Committee on COVID-19 Control convened under the patronage of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa this morning (Sep. 10).

“With COVID-19 figures steadily declining, the government is confident that Sri Lanka will once again be able to reopen without risk,” the health minister said in a tweet.

He appealed to the members of the public to adhere to health regulations and to use the locked-down period to get themselves vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

A ten-day island-wide quarantine curfew was first imposed on August 20, however, the restrictions were rolled over twice in a bid to mitigate the spread of the virus and to ramp up the vaccination process.

Sri Lanka President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa will attend the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, which begins in New York on September 21, President’s Media Division announced.

This is the first time the President will be addressing the UN General Assembly and is attending a foreign conference outside the country.

During his visit, President Rajapaksa is scheduled to hold bilateral discussions with a number of Heads of State on a multitude of areas, including the economy, education and agriculture.

Foreign Minister Prof. GL Peiris, Chief Adviser to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage will accompany the President on the visit.

Considering his personal policy and the current situation in the country, the President has decided to make the visit with the participation of a minimum number of delegates.

Accordingly, this is the lowest number of Sri Lankan delegates to the UN General Assembly in recent history, and First Lady Ioma Rajapaksa will join the tour at her own expense.

The High Commission of India Colombo has announced scholarships to Sri Lankan nationals under the Ayush Scholarship Scheme for UG/PG/PhD courses in Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy for the academic year 2021-22.

The Government of India selects meritorious Sri Lankan nationals for award of these scholarships in consultation with the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of Sri Lanka.

These scholarships cover full tuition fees and a monthly sustenance allowance for the entire duration of the course. The scholarship also covers accommodation allowance and an annual grant. Besides, all ICCR scholars in India are provided full healthcare facilities.

The necessary details will be available in the website of Ministry of Education at www.mohe.gov.lk.

For any additional information the interested candidates may also contact High Commission of India, Colombo (E-mail- eduwing.colombo@mea.gov.in /0112421605, 0112422788 ext-605).

Sri Lanka has imposed a 100 percent cash margin when opening letters of credit on over 600 items ranging from chocolates and wine to raincoats and carpets to discourage imports as the country faced foreign exchange shortages as large volumes of money were printed.

Banks have also been barred from giving credit for importers to meet the margins.

Licensed Commercial Banks “shall not grant any advances to their customers for the purpose of enabling such customers to meet the minimum cash margin deposit,” the direction said.

A direction issued to licensed commercial banks by the Central Bank said the margin requirement was effective from September 08.

Sri Lanka has place price controls on government bond auctions discouraging bids and the central bank has taken them to its balance sheet giving new money which then lead to a foreign reserve loss when

The direction described 693 items through customs codes including, chocolates, spaghetti, apple juice, wine, oats, soya milk, dairy goods, lipsticks, carpets, coats anoraks and electronic goods.

Download Order LC-Margin-Sep09

Sri Lanka has a habit of blocking what bureaucrats claim to be ‘non-essential’ or ‘luxury’ goods whenever money printing hits the island’s non-credible peg.

The curbs on chocolates and lipsticks came after 39 billion rupees was printed last Friday to control the 12-month Treasury bill yield.

Sri Lanka’s rupee has fallen from 4.70 to below 200 due to frequent liquidity injections.

Analysts have urged authorities to lift price controls rupee bond auction to channel savings of the public to the deficit, reduce consumption and imports and the erosion of foreign reserves and possible default on foreign debt.