Category: Featured Headlines

Former President Maithripala Sirisena says that if an All-Party Government cannot be formed, the next best alternative is to have an election.

Participating in News 1st’s ‘Ilakkaya’ program, Sirisena said that it has been a few months since Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed, and during this period he held multiple talks with political parties on the formation of an All-Party Government.

However, the former President said that although he attended the discussions and meetings, the status of consecutive meetings remain the same.

“What was discussed on Monday was the proposal of a National Council, as a base for the All-Party Government. Some parties opined that there needs to be some form of legality for it. Unfortunately, a majority is commanded by the Pohottuwa. They were of the view that this should not be produced to parliament to give it legality, because it would reduce the powers of the Cabinet,” he said.

Accordingly, the SLPP MPs have claimed that the inclusion of a Council in between the President and the Cabinet will cause confusion.

“I am sad to say that there appears to be no intention on creating an All-Party Government, without thinking about their personal powers, and benefits” he said.

Therefore, the former President said that it is clear, that if an All-Party Government is not being formed, the alternative is to go ahead for an election

The case filed against Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa and several others for holding a protest and obstructing the road in Thunmulla during the visit by the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein in 2016, will be taken up for examination once again on the 12th of December 2022.

The order was issued by Colombo Chief Magistrate Nandana Amarasinghe today (29).

Parliamentarians Wimal Weerawansa, Weerakumara Dissanayake, Piyasiri Dissanayake, and Mohammad Muzzamil, defendants in the case, appeared before Court today.

Two other suspects in the case Parliamentarian Jayanath Samaraweera and actor Roger Seneviratne failed to appear before Court when the case was taken up.

Accordingly, the Chief Magistrate ordered the case to be taken up once again on the 12th of December and ordered that the defendants be present in Court.

The case was filed by the Cinnamon Gardens Police for disrupting public law and order during the arrival of the then-UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in February 2016.

Minister of Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva informs that a decision has been reached to hand over a 49% stake in SriLankan Catering and its management, and a 49% stake of airport ground handling and its management to an investor.

Accordingly, the government will retain a 51% majority stake of the national carrier.

Minister de Silva revealed of this move during a media briefing held today pertaining to restructuring SriLankan Airlines.

The Minister added SriLankan Airlines is USD 1.126 billion or Rs.401 billion in debt at present.

The Citizens of the Aragalaya Organization submitted a letter to the office of the United Nations in Thummulla today requesting to observe the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

The group also engaged in a silent protest demanding the release of the people arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

The group submitted the letter to the office of the United Nations after the protest, demanding intervention with regard to the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Sri Lanka’s new government came under international censure over the use of tough anti-terror laws to detain protesters who forced Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down from the presidency last month.

Three student activists arrested during the first anti-government rally after the end of a state of emergency were being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), including student leader Wasantha Mudalige.

The PTA allows suspects to be detained for 90 days without judicial review.

An unprecedented economic collapse sparked often huge anti-government rallies in Sri Lanka this year, after the country ran out of foreign currency to finance imports, leaving its 22 million people enduring chronic shortages of essential goods, rolling blackouts and spiralling inflation.

The government imposed a state of emergency that gave security forces sweeping detention powers, but the ordinance lapsed last week.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt in mid-April and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a possible bailout.

A Chinese fertilizer company involved in a dispute with Sri Lanka, has refused to budge and had demanded that Sri Lanka respect the spirit of the agreement reached between both parties.

Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group reminded the Sri Lankan authorities of a supplementary agreement reached between both parties in February 2022.

“According to the supplementary agreement reached between our company and Sri Lankan side in February 2022, both sides shall continue with the organic fertilizer project,” Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Director Ms. Song Hai Mei said.

Both sides went to court after Sri Lanka accused the Chinese company of providing poor quality fertilizer.

However, both parties later reached a settlement in the Sri Lankan Commercial High court and the Chinese company withdrew the lawsuit in China.

“It is reported that our company took the Performance Bond back according to the ruling of the Chinese court, which is inconsistent with the fact. The Performance Bond is automatically invalid after expiration because the relevant parties of Sri Lanka failed to fulfill the commitment of L / C renewal, resulting in the expiry of the L / C,” Song Hai Mei said.

The Chinese company said that its organic fertilizer products fully comply with the contract, and the project is fully qualified to continue.

“Since the beginning of 2022, our company has been constantly urging relevant parties in Sri Lanka to promote the implementation of the project as soon as possible according to the supplementary agreement reached in February 2022. Unfortunately, up to now, we have not obtained any substantial response or positive action from Sri Lanka,” the Chinese company added.

Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group said that the project has caused great losses to the company and the inaction by Sri Lanka has led to a shortage of fertilizer in Sri Lanka and has also damaged the interests of Sri Lankan farmers.

“It is reported that our company has rejected the proposal of providing chemical fertilizer instead of organic fertilizer put forward by the relevant parties of Sri Lanka. We hereby reiterate and explain that our company has indeed rejected the proposal because the bidding project and the subject matter agreed in the contract are organic fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers, and we are not obliged to provide chemical fertilizers. Our company is a professional manufacturer of organic fertilizers and seaweed fertilizers, not a chemical fertilizers manufacturer, and does not have the conditions to produce chemical fertilizers. According to China’s current export policy, chemical fertilizers cannot be exported,” the company added.

The company reminded the relevant parties in Sri Lanka to respect the spirit of the contract between both sides and learn from the experience of developed countries.

The first tranche of food assistance pledged by the Government of Japan earlier this year has been provided through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to Sri Lanka, where more than 6 million people — nearly 30 percent of the population, are facing a worsening food crisis.

H.E. Mizukoshi Hideaki, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka, handed over the donation to Hon. Nalin Fernando, Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security, in the presence of Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, WFP Representative and Country Director, during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Food Security today.

This first tranche forms part of the donation consisting of rice, lentils, and oil, and valued at US$1.5 million, which will be distributed by WFP to approximately 15,000 people in both urban and rural areas and 380,000 schoolchildren.

Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka, H.E. Mizukoshi Hideaki said, “It is our great honour that we are able to handover the first tranche of essential food supplies today with the rapid procurement of WFP, which will be delivered to vulnerable families and children across the island who are facing extreme hardship, amidst prevailing food shortages and soaring food prices during this unprecedented economic crisis. We sincerely hope that this humanitarian assistance will provide relief to all the people in need and help them meet their daily nutritional requirement.”

“I thank the people of Japan for this timely contribution. The Japanese Government was one of the first to pledge support to WFP’s appeal. The donation will go a long way in addressing Sri Lanka’s growing food insecurity while shortages of food and other essentials and skyrocketing prices continue to impact millions of people’s ability to maintain an adequate and nutritious diet,” said WFP’s Siddiqui.

A recent survey by WFP and FAO indicates that many of the households — over 60 percent — are resorting to coping mechanisms, such as reducing portion sizes and eating less nutritious food, which could aggravate the already-high malnutrition rates among women and children.

In response, WFP is mobilizing funds and support to provide emergency assistance to 3.4 million people, including 1.4 million people who are in dire need of emergency food assistance, through food, cash or voucher assistance as well one million schoolchildren and one million pregnant and breastfeeding women by supporting the existing national social safety net programmes.

Photo caption: The first tranche of food assistance pledged by the Government of Japan was handed over by H. E. Mizukoshi Hideaki, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka, to Hon. Nalin Fernando, Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security, in the presence of Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, WFP Sri Lanka Representative and Country Director.