Category: Breaking News

Permission has been granted to all airlines for the carriage of fully vaccinated passengers without any limitation to the number of passengers allowed per flight.

This decision will not apply to restricted countries, the Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) stated.

Accordingly, flights arriving in Sri Lanka may carry passengers without any limitations to the number, if the passengers have passed 14 days since full vaccination.

The passengers are required to be in possession of their vaccine certificates.

This will also include passengers arriving for hotel or government quarantine and passengers arriving via the Sri Lanka Tourism Bio Bubble.

However, the limitation of 75 passengers per flight will still apply for passengers not arriving through the Sri Lanka Tourism Bio Bubble and passengers who are not vaccinated or only partially vaccinated.

This, too, will apply to unvaccinated or half-vaccinated passengers arriving for hotel and government quarantine.

U.S. Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz, who commented on the proposed investment by the U.S. based New Fortress Energy (New Fortress”) in Sri Lanka’s energy sector, said she would argue for it as a crucial project for Sri Lanka needing capacity improvement and new technology in the related field.

The company announced earlier that it signed a Framework Agreement with the Sri Lankan government to construct a new offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving, storage and regasification terminal (the “Terminal”). The Terminal will be located off the coast of Colombo to supply gas to the country’s power plants located in the Kerawalapitiya Power Complex.

Making her remarks during a round-table with a team of journalists yesterday, she said it was a private investment, and the company would bring its own money, not a loan, to be put on the ground in Sri Lanka.

The ambassador expressed optimism that it could be completely.

“We absolutely support having a fair, clear, consistent framework. We absolutely support ensuring that business deals are not made around corrupt practices. The importance of the investment is meeting the highest environmental, labour standards. That is something American companies bring to the table as well as innovation and good technology,” she said.

She added that training and education of the workforce were important.

The U.S. ambassador also emphasised the need for Sri Lanka to work out a programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revive the economy which, she said, is in crisis. She said no other alternate method would provide foundational requirements for the economy to regain health to grow at an accelerated pace. Therefore,she said an arrangement with the IMF would be the best solution.

The body of the 16-year-old girl who died while being employed at the residence of former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, is to be exhumed on Friday.

According to the Police, a special medical team has been appointed to conduct a second post-mortem after the body is exhumed at the Dayagama Cemetery.

The Colombo Magistrates’ Court had this week issued an order to exhume the body to conduct the fresh post-mortem.

The court also ordered the wife of the former Minister, his father-in-law and brother-in-law and a broker to be remanded until 9th August.

The wife and father-in-law of the Parliamentarian and a broker were arrested over the death of the 16-year-old girl at the residence of the former Minister in Colombo. The broker had introduced the child to the family.

Meanwhile, the MP’s brother-in-law was arrested over allegations of sexually abusing a 22-year-old domestic worker at the residence of the MP between 2015-2019.

The girl had claimed she was sexually abused twice by the MP’s brother-in-law.

In a notice issued by the British High Commission in Colombo today (28), the High Commission has alerted potential civil society implementing partners to an opportunity to bid for grant funding to deliver project activity promoting human rights and democratic values in Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, activities will focus on a set of priority themes. The High Commission has encouraged suppliers to identify target areas within and across these themes, and justify their focus.

The themes are listed below:

Reinforcing media freedom and protecting freedom of expression

Supporting journalistic practice in identified ‘needs’ areas in Sri Lanka (such as digital and physical safety, high-quality and inclusive content, or data-driven and investigative journalism) – e.g. through direct capacity building to journalists, or initiatives to support the spread of journalistic best practice and learning
Initiatives to boost civic literacy and tackle disinformation, especially where potential scalability, cross-cutting themes, or sustainability can be demonstrated

Promoting freedom of religion or belief and tackling inter-communal tensions

Raising understanding and awareness including on triggers of religious and ethno-religious tensions and conflict (inter and intra-communities), through effective research and documentation.
Promoting conflict management through education of and engagement with local and national authorities.

Supporting human rights defenders and strengthening civil society

Supporting civil society engagement through identified ‘needs’ areas in Sri Lanka (such as digital and physical safety, data-gathering and documentation, access to legal or operational support, linkages between CSOs and other key stakeholders i.e. government and media)
Initiatives to boost collaborative and coordinated advocacy, including between and within grassroots, regional and Colombo-based organisations, especially where potential scalability, cross-cutting themes, or sustainability can be demonstrated

In terms of delivery mechanisms, the High Commission has stated that suppliers may want to consider capacity building (direct, or through ‘train the trainer’ models) alongside more creative mechanisms such as support to peer to peer networks or sector initiatives, and creating relevant products/resources (eg: technical ‘tool kits’). It also states that activities will need to take into account Covid-19 risk mitigation and planning.

In the context of the deepening global economic crisis, the country’s foreign exchange (forex) crisis is not improving. The slight increase in exports has been undermined by increased imports, especially aggravated by the need to import vaccines to meet the Covid-19 crisis. Also, the decision to restrict the import of luxuries and non-essentials is not being enforced effectively. The result is that with more foreign borrowing, our foreign debt is increasing. The annual repayment of debt has reached $ 4.5 billion, with interest repayment alone amounting to $ 1 billion. Neither the Government nor the people appear to realise the gravity of the forex situation and do not act accordingly. Our import policies need to be tightened. The Government has failed to explain to the people the magnitude of the crisis and the need to tighten the belt at all levels, setting a proper example from the top, so as to conserve our forex. The result is the forex crisis.

But internally too the economic crisis is deepening, accompanied by social, political, and health crises. The hunger crisis is severe with many people having only one meal. The loss of income due to the closure of factories and offices and the loss of self-employment is a major factor. In addition, many have had pay cuts. Another major cause is the rise in the cost of goods, especially essentials like food. This has led to the inability to buy essentials, and increasing poverty and hunger. In fact, studies indicate that 60% of the people have incomes below the poverty line. The level of malnutrition has gone up to 18%. Thus, the correction of the hunger problem should be given the first priority by the Government. I appeal to the new Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to ascertain the families faced with poverty and hunger and to supply dry rations to them as the first priority.

The Covid-19 pandemic is liable to expand with the spread of the more virulent B.1.617.2 Delta Indian variant in the country. There has to be a country-wide, people-based campaign to curb this. Covid-19 committees should be established in every village and slum. These should detect Covid-19 cases early and institute cluster control measures, and ensure that every person strictly observes the four health guidelines (preventing crowding, ensuring social distancing, ensuring that masks are worn when out of the home, and the effective washing of hands). Covid-19 committees have to be set up in schools as necessary. It must be ensured that all the vulnerable people in the society who are liable to get severe disease or die (elderly over 60 years and those with serious chronic diseases) are vaccinated.

Imported chemical fertiliser should be continued for this period (seasons) of cultivation so that farmers do not suffer. Organic fertiliser should, meanwhile, be produced adequately and be introduced country-wide thereafter.

Another major problem is the high cost of food and other essentials. The revival and strengthening of co-operatives, producers, and consumers is the only way out. This would prevent profiteering by middlemen. The introduction of the new solidarity concept, which ensures that the ownership of enterprises is given to the employees alone, would result in successful outcomes, e.g. the paddy fields in Kerala, India. The strengthening of the state sector in marketing e.g. the marketing department, the Co-operative Wholesale Establishment, etc., would also help.

Measures like these will help to overcome poverty and hunger, and eliminate malnutrition. I urge the Government to think and act on these lines to improve the conditions of the people and to make the country more productive and the people happier.

(The writer is a virologist, government parliamentarian, the Committee on Public Accounts Chairman, and the Lanka Sama Samaja Party Leader)