Category: News

The Ministry of Defence has declared a general amnesty for the tri-forces absentees, enabling them to receive an official discharge from their respective services.

General amnesty will be in force for a period of one month, from 20 April to 20 May.

Accordingly, the tri-forces personnel who have been absent without leave (AWOL) before 02 April 2024 will be allowed to receive their discharge from military service during this period.

Additionally, any financial obligations or amounts due are required to be settled prior to their discharge.

Meanwhile, the absentees who are currently living overseas will also be eligible to receive a legal discharge from the military service without reporting to their respective regiments, subject to the following requirements:

• Those seeking to be discharged should have no pending disciplinary actions taken against them apart from that of being AWOL.

• Should have clearance from the Department of Immigration and Emigration confirming their travel abroad was done with legal documents and not on forged documents or by illegal means.

• It should be noted that this amnesty does not apply to those who had gone AWOL and failed to return to the country after attending foreign courses funded by the government or courses offered to Tri Forces by foreign institutes, and those who had proceeded on diplomatic missions or any other requirements.

Chairman of the NEC R.M.A.L. Rathnayake says the implementation of the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act was discussed at the meeting.

The Deputy and Assistant Election Commissioners have also been summoned to Colombo tomorrow for a three-day workshop.

It has also been revealed that an expert with international experience on the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act will join the workshop.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission says that the upcoming presidential election will be officially announced towards the end of July or in early August.

Rathnayake says the presidential election will definitely be held between September 17 and October 17.

India is to ask Sri Lanka to allow Indian fishermen to fish near Katchatheevu, India’s External Affair Minister S Jaishankar said.

Amid disclosures through RTI that India did not try hard enough to keep Katchatheevu, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the Indian Government will open negotiations with Sri Lanka over the implementation of the India-Sri Lanka Maritime Boundary Act and a subsequent deal based on which Colombo is stopping Indian fishermen from operating in waters near the island.

“We should get fishing rights. We need to sit with Sri Lankan authorities and sort it out. Even today, our fishermen are being arrested and vessels are being seized. Katchatheevu island was given away in 1974 and fishing rights were given away in 1976,” Jaishankar said as he held Congress and DMK equally responsible for “ceding claim without putting up resistance”.

In past 20 years, 6,184 Indian fishermen have been detained and 1,175 Indian fishing vessels seized, detained or apprehended by Sri Lanka, Jaishankar said as he called out DMK and Congress for making it appear that the issue has emerged out of thin air and they were not responsible for the island being ceded to Sri Lanka.

Former Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday defended the agreement to give away the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka.

He said this agreement was arrived at in 1974 and 1976 after long negotiations. “PM Modi is referring to a recent RTI reply, he should refer to the RTI reply of January 27, 2015, when I believe EAM S Jaishankar was foreign secretary. That reply clearly says that after negotiations, the island lay on the Srilankan side of the international border,” he said in a video response shared by news agency ANI.

Sri Lanka’s economy is projected to see moderate growth of 2.2% in 2024, showing signs of stabilization, following the severe economic downturn of 2022. But, the country still faces elevated poverty levels, income inequality, and labor market concerns, says the World Bank’s latest bi-annual update.

Released today, the Sri Lanka Development Update, Bridge to Recovery, highlights that Sri Lanka saw declining inflation, higher revenues on the back of the implementation of new fiscal policies, and a current account surplus for the first time in nearly five decades, buoyed by increased remittances and a rebound in tourism.

However, poverty rates continued to rise for the fourth year in a row, with an estimated 25.9% of Sri Lankans living below the poverty line in 2023. Labor force participation has also seen a decline, particularly among women and in urban areas, exacerbated by the closure of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Households are grappling with multiple pressures from high prices, income losses, and under employment. This has led to households taking on debt to meet food requirements and maintain spending on health and education.

“Sri Lanka’s economy is on the road to recovery, but sustained efforts to mitigate the impact of the economic crisis on the poor and vulnerable are critical, alongside a continuation of the path of robust and credible structural reforms,” emphasized Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

“This involves a two-pronged strategy: first, to maintain reforms that contribute to macroeconomic stability and second, to accelerate reforms to stimulate private investment and capital inflows, which are crucial for economic growth and poverty reduction.”

Looking forward, the report projects a modest pickup in growth of 2.5% in 2025, with a gradual increase in inflation and a small current account surplus. However, high debt service obligations are expected to exert pressure on fiscal balances. Poverty rates are anticipated to remain above 22% until 2026.

Risks to the outlook remain, particularly related to inadequate debt restructuring, reversal of reforms, financial sector vulnerabilities, and the enduring impact of the crisis. The report emphasizes that strong reform implementation will be fundamental to fostering a resilient economy through continued macro-fiscal-financial stability, greater private sector investment, and addressing risks associated with state-owned enterprises.

The Sri Lanka Development Update is a companion piece to the South Asia Development Update, a twice-a-year World Bank report that examines economic developments and prospects in the South Asia region and analyzes policy challenges faced by countries. The April 2024 edition, Jobs for Resilience, projects South Asia to remain the fastest-growing region in the world, with growth projected to be 6.0% in 2024- driven mainly by robust growth in India and recoveries in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. But this strong outlook is deceptive, says the report. For most countries, growth is still below pre-pandemic levels and is reliant on public spending. At the same time, private investment growth has slowed sharply in all South Asian countries and the region is not creating enough jobs to keep pace with its rapidly increasing working-age population. The report recommends a range of policies to spur firm growth and boost employment as well as help lift growth and productivity and free up space for public investments in climate adaptation.

The National People’s Power (NPP) today invited Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa for a public debate on economic policies with NPP leader and presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

NPP politburo member Sunil Handunnetti told a news conference that the NPP was ready to take up SJB MPs Nalin Bandara and Dr. Harsha De Silva‘s challenge to the NPP Economic Council for a public debate on economic policies and requested them to convey it in writing.

He said it was a good move to have a debate on economic policies of the presidential candidates ahead of the polls so that people can know their policies, adding that Anura Kumara Dissanayake was ready for a debate with SJB leader Sajith Premadasa.

“They are contesting the upcoming Presidential election. It is important for the people to know the policies of the Presidential candidates first-hand with some accountability. It is pointless debating with Kabir Hashim, Dr. Harsha De Silva and Eran Wickramaratne as they constantly change their policies. They acted as economic advisors to Ranil Wickremesinghe earlier and now they are with Sajith Premadasa. They may be with Ranil Wickremesinghe at the time of the Presidential election,” he said.

Hadunnetti requested the Samagi Jana Balawegaya to inform in writing if Sajith Premadasa was not willing and unable to do it and added that they could then decide how and with whom it should be done.

“Let’s arrange a date, time and television channel for the debate. Our proposal is to have the debate between Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake,” Handunnetti said.