Category: Featured Headlines

A senior International Monetary Fund (IMF) official will be visiting Sri Lanka today (14) and tomorrow (15) to brief President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the fund’s assessment of the crisis-hit economy, Reuters reported yesterday (13), quoting IMF’s Sri Lanka Mission Chief Masahiro Nozaki.

“While the IMF has not received a request for financial support from Sri Lanka, the staff stands ready to discuss options if requested,” Nozaki told Reuters.

The visit comes ahead of plans by Sri Lanka to hold formal talks with the IMF next month on how to help the country.

The Morning reported last week that Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa will visit the US in the first half of April to hold meetings with the IMF and World Bank, armed with an economic recovery and fiscal consolidation plan formulated in Sri Lanka.

Well-placed sources told The Morning that the Finance Minister would most likely depart Sri Lanka on 9 April and the meeting with the IMF is likely to be held on 11 April. Meetings with both organisations will be to obtain their assistance and guidance to overcome the unprecedented economic crisis Sri Lanka is currently experiencing.

A concern voiced by the Government when considering the IMF option has been the conditions that the IMF would impose, particularly with regard to any possible condition about slashing public sector jobs. However, economists have countered by saying that the IMF imposes such harsh conditions only if the Government approaches the IMF without a solid economic regeneration plan of its own. It is to address this concern that the Government has formulated a plan which it hopes to convince the IMF to endorse and support.

The Finance Minister will be accompanied by Finance Ministry and Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle. However, Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, who has been vocally opposed to the option of entering an IMF programme, will not be a part of the visit.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst financial crisis in years with the country struggling to pay for critical imports including fuel, food, and medicines.

In a periodic review released earlier this month, the IMF called on the Government to implement a “credible and coherent” strategy to repay debt and restore macroeconomic stability.

Two Indian Navy ships berthed at the China-funded port in Hambantota, the Port management said.

Hambantota International Port Group Pvt Ltd. said that the Indian ships visited the Hambantota International Port (HIP) for replenishment and husbandry services.

The ships which arrived on the 9th were berthed at HIP for 2 days.

INS ‘Chennai’, a Destroyer and the Flagship of the Indian Western Fleet along with the Frigate INS ‘Teg’ were in Colombo on a formal visit.

During their stay in the island, the crews of both ships engaged in several programmes organized by Sri Lanka Navy in keeping with COVID-19 protocols.

In past years naval vessels from Japan, Indonesia, Russia and USA have called at the port of Hambantota.

USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the US Navy, which in 2017 was involved in a deadly accident killing 7 sailors, arrived in Trincomalee today.

The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.

The 160m long destroyer is commanded by Commander D.J. Catteral and the ship is manned by a 300 member crew.

The crew of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) is expected to take part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy to promote camaraderie and exchange best practices between both navies. The ship is scheduled to depart the island on 16th March.

On June 17, 2017, the Fitzgerald was sailing off the coast of Japan, approximately 64 miles southwest of Yokosuka, when it collided with the Philippine-flagged cargo ship ACX Crystal.

The accident caused significant damage to the destroyer’s superstructure and hull. A large puncture below the waterline flooded three compartments, and the captain’s cabin was destroyed.

A Navy investigation into the collision cited crew exhaustion, skipped certifications, poor watch-standing and training and manning problems among the causes of the collision, which the report found was preventable.

Navy officials ultimately relieved the ship’s two senior officers and a senior enlisted sailor, while also holding numerous officer and enlisted watch-standers accountable for the accident.

USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the US Navy, which in 2017 was involved in a deadly accident killing 7 sailors, arrived in Trincomalee today and will remain in Sri Lanka till 16th March #Srilanka #lka #US #USNavy @USEmbSL @USNavy #USSFitzgerald pic.twitter.com/H58ahNovD1

— Easwaran Rutnam (@easwaranrutnam) March 13, 2022

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) says it is prepared to stage Arab Springs style protests if the Government fails to admit its mistakes and address the issues facing the country.

SJB MP Harin Fernando said that the intention of the main opposition is not to take unfair advantage of the current situation and attempt to overthrow the Government.

Instead, he says the SJB wants President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to admit that his policies failed and now work with the opposition and look for solutions to address the issues.

The SJB is to stage a major protest against the Government, in Colombo on Tuesday 15th March.

Fernando called on the public to join the protest at 2pm in Colombo and express their opposition to the state of affairs in the country.

He said the SJB will look to send a clear message to the President on Tuesday through the protest.

The SJB MP warned that if the President does not consider the demands of the public then the opposition is prepared to even stage Arab Springs style protests.

The Arab Spring was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s.

It began in response to corruption and economic stagnation and was first started in Tunisia.

From Tunisia, the protests then spread to five other countries: Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain, where either the ruler was deposed or major uprisings and social violence occurred including riots, civil wars, or insurgencies.

Sustained street demonstrations took place in Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Iranian Khuzestan, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and Sudan. Minor protests took place in Djibouti, Mauritania, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.

The Russia Today (RT) international news channel has gone off the air in Sri Lanka.

The Russian state controlled channel was telecast in the country via Dialog TV. However, it suddenly went off the air this week and its slot has been taken over by German broadcaster DW-TV (Deutsche Welle).

“Dialog is not receiving the relevant satellite feed. We regret any inconvenience caused,” a Dialog TV official said in response to a query by the Sunday Times.

An industry source said Sri Lanka obtains its satellite feed from India, so any interruption or suspension of the feed would have occurred at that end and networks here had no say on the matter.

RT is among several Russian Government backed media outlets whose coverage has been restricted in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The outlets have been accused by western governments of spreading disinformation and acting as propaganda for the Kremlin.

The crackdown has now spread beyond Europe, with YouTube announcing on Friday that it was now blocking access to YouTube channels associated with Russian state-funded media globally. “This change is effective immediately,” the company said. The affected YouTube channels belong to Russian networks RT and Sputnik.

Users in Sri Lanka too are now no longer able to access the YouTube channels of these networks. Anyone clicking on them will receive the message “This channel is not available in your country.”