Category: Featured Headlines

Sri Lanka is reporting a wheat flour shortage from multiple areas. Traders, bakery owners, and the people are complaining of a shortage of wheat flour at present.

Traders in Pettah say wheat flour prices were increased by 17 rupees a kilo as the supply has dropped.

Owners of eateries and bakeries say they are facing difficulties in buying wheat flour to prepare food.

“We have been trying to contact the distributors. But we haven’t received a response,” said one bakery owner.

However, Sri Lanka’s Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena said the shortage experienced is merely due to the pandemic affecting most country, and as a result the prices increase.

“The cost of cement has increased. So has the price of iron. If production reduces there will be a shortage of goods. The cost of goods increase because of the shortage,” he explained.

The Mullaitivu Press Club engaged in a wide range of protests yesterday (28), condemning the assault of an individual by the name of V. Vishwachandran Mullaitivum last Saturday (27), who they claim is a freelance independent journalist who was assaulted by three officers attached to the 59 Brigade of the Sri Lanka Army.

Video footage shows Vishwachandran claiming that he was merely taking a photo of the “Mullivaikal” road sign when he was assaulted using “barbed wire”. Pictures of Vishwachandran’s hands show injuries and he had later been admitted to hospital for treatment.

Three army officers attached to the 59 Brigade of the Sri Lanka Army, who were allegedly involved in the said assault, were reportedly arrested by the Police yesterday and later released on bail. However, The Morning’’s attempts to contact Police Media Spokesperson Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nihal Thalduwa regarding this proved futile.

“He was beaten with palmyrah fronds wrapped with barbed wire. He suffered serious injuries and was admitted to the Mullaitivu District Hospital for treatment. Journalists in Sri Lanka, especially those in the war-affected North and East, are subjected to serious challenges amidst severe threats to their lives and profession. Despite 44 Tamil journalists being abducted or subjected to forced disappearances or killed, none of the perpetrators have been brought to justice,” the Mullaitivu Press Club said in a statement yesterday.

The assault had occurred on the day of “Maaveerar Naal”, a commemorative day observed across the North and East as a mark of respect and remembrance of those who died during the civil war. Although reports show that several courts denied requests by the Sri Lanka Police to ban the planned commemorative events, many media outlets detailed the heavy military presence during the events last Saturday.

Political tensions between the ruling party Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and coalition partner Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) have escalated and the SLFP is already preparing to contest the forthcoming provincial council elections separately, Lankadeepa reported according to political sources.

It is reported that the SLFP has already commenced interviews to fill the vacancies for Electoral Organizers and District Organizers and interviews have been held at the party headquarters throughout the last week.

In the past, many in the party have accused the government of ignoring their party and due to this, Cabinet Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, a senior Vice President of the party, has recently informed the Local Government members of the party to take a decision of their choice in the budget voting of the local government bodies.

Meanwhile, SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara said in parliament last week that some government ministers and MPs were carrying out mudslinging attacks targeting party chairman former President Maithripala Sirisena.

Political analysts point out that the recent clash in Parliament between former President Maithripala Sirisena and Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, a strongman of the SLPP, was the culmination of a political rift between the two parties.

Tight security was maintained throughout the Northern Province yesterday with temporary checkpoints and patrolling of military personnel in streets as residents and organised groups held events to commemorate those killed in the separatist war.

Remembrance events were mostly held in homes and in a few selected public places with people lighting oil lamps and candles to remember the dead.

The events coincided with November 27 “Maveerar” or Martyrs Day observed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) since the early 1980s to commemorate its fallen cadres.

Some civil society-led organisations and youth groups organised similar events among their close circles yesterday evening.

In Valvettithurai, more than a hundred people gathered at the Theeruvil grounds to commemorate their loved ones with flowers, garlands and candles but they were not allowed by security forces. However, a handful of people were allowed to take part in the event.

Several people and local politicians gathered in Chaati, Velanai at an abandoned LTTE cemetery, but security forces and police barred people from entering the site and allowed only a few people to go inside.

Police also prevented people who gathered on the Mullaitivu beach to mark the day and arrested one person who refused to obey police directives.

Throughout the province, many shops were closed and transport services were limited as political parties and civil society forums urged the people to observe low key commemorative events due to the court orders issued by various courts and the pandemic situation.

In the East, low key events were held in Batticaloa, Ampara and in Trincomalee but no public events were held.

Tamil National Alliance, had organised a commemorative event in Kopay, but it was called off after the Jaffna Magistrate issued an order, banning commemorative events.

Earlier this week, in the Jaffna District, three Magistrate’s Courts refused to issue orders preventing commemorative events.

The Mallakam, Point Pedro and Chavakachcheri Magistrate’s Courts rejected the applications filed by the police on Friday seeking orders to prevent commemorative events.

On Thursday, Mullaitivu Magistrate’s Court amended its order to allow commemorative events without using LTTE symbols or photographs.

Police filed applications under the Penal Code, the Prevention of Terrorism Act and COVID-19 health guidelines.

Police in the Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Mannar districts applied for orders against commemorative events under similar provisions. Refusing to grant orders, the Magistrate’s Courts told police they could take action if regulations were violated at the events, but held the commemoration could not be held with LTTE symbols and flags.

Meanwhile, a Mullaithivu-based journalist was allegedly assaulted by military persons yesterday when he tried to take photographs of the name board of Mullivaikaal village where the last stages of the war took place.

State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa says that the conflicting opinions of two Government laboratories has created a painful situation for Chinese-Sri Lanka relations.

Speaking at the Parliament yesterday (26) the State Minister said that the Government was unable to properly provide the organic fertilizer to farmers according to plans due to baseless allegations.

Speaking further, the MP said that the ship with organic fertilizer, ‘Hippo Spirit’, which was imported for this purpose was in Sri Lankan waters for over 70 days.

MP Rajapaksa also stated that although two Government-controlled laboratories issue contradicting statements that had pained the Chinese Government, the relationship between the two countries must be protected.

He further stated that although 1.8 million bottles of 500 ml quantity of nano nitrogen were required for this Maha season, only 189,000 bottles were imported to the country and the Government only paid for 100,000 bottles.

However, the MP pointed out that the Government is being falsely accused of committing theft by deliberately creating this crisis.