Category: News

India has noted its abiding commitment to develop an even stronger all-round cooperation with Sri Lanka in line with India’s Neighbourhood First policy, with people being at the centre of this cooperation.

The High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha visited the prominent Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo to pray to the Lord Buddha for health, peace and prosperity of the people of Sri Lanka and India and the longstanding friendship between the two countries. The High Commissioner’s spouse, Mrs. Tanuja Jha also accompanied him for the visit.

At the Temple, the High Commissioner was welcomed by Venerable Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thero, the Deputy Incumbent of the temple. Venerable Dr. Kirinde Assaji Thero warmly recalled Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the temple in 2017, wherein he had inaugurated the International Vesak Day Celebrations.

Venerable Assaji Thero also shared his learnings from the times he studied in India, the land of Lord Buddha’s enlightenment, and underlined the importance of the civilisational ties between the two countries. He blessed High Commissioner Jha and Mrs. Jha by tying pirith noola on their hands after conducting the special Puja at the temple.

The High Commissioner stressed on the commitment of India’s leadership to strengthen multifaceted ties, especially the deep civilisational, historical, religious and cultural bonds. He also discussed with the Venerable Thero the current engagement of the High Commission of India in offering scholarships for the monks for their higher studies in India along with other developmental projects carried out to strengthen the Buddhist ties between both countries, including the recently signed MoU for solar electrification of religious temples under USD 10 mn Indian grant.

The High Commissioner reiterated India’s abiding commitment to develop an even stronger all-round cooperation with Sri Lanka in line with India’s Neighbourhood First policy, with people being at the centre of this cooperation.

Japan has informed that in order to commence the stalled projects, Sri Lanka must repay due for the cancellation of Colombo Light Rail Transit Project (LRT).

The Japanese Finance Minister Suzuki Shunichi, who was on a two-day official visit to the island-nation has reportedly emphasized this, when he met President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.

In March 2019, the Japanese government agreed to grant loan assistance of USD 1,800 million for the LRT system project which was to be implemented that year and completed by 2026, as a solution for the traffic congestion in the city of Colombo and its suburbs.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) had agreed to provide financial facilities under concessionary credit conditions while the Oriental Consultants Global Company of Japan had agreed to provide consultancy services in collaboration with several other companies.

On March 11, 2019, Japan and Sri Lanka signed the loan agreement and exchanged notes pertaining to the project, which had been designed to construct a 17km-long elevated rail track including 16 stations to cover important and major intersections from Malabe to Colombo Fort.

Under the project, it had been proposed to deploy 25 trains for the service and each unit was supposed to comprise four air-conditioned passenger compartments to accommodate 800 passengers.

The total estimated cost of the project was Japanese Yen 246,641 million, and JICA was to provide JPY 200,415 million (approximately USD 1,800 million) as a concessionary loan. The company had provided the facility of paying the said loan over a period of 40 years including a grace period of 12 years and the annual interest rate thereon was 0.1 percent.

However, in September 2020, the then-Cabinet of Ministers gave the nod to terminate the project citing heavy operating costs, and environmental damage among other reasons.

A report compiled by the National Audit Office in December 2022 revealed that Sri Lanka incurred a loss of Rs. 5,978 million after former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa-led government unilaterally terminated the LRT project.

In May 2023, the current Cabinet of Ministers decided to green-light the revival of the project days before President Wickremesinghe departed for Japan for an official visit. The decision was taken in a bid to restore Sri Lanka’s credibility with the international community.

The Attorney General has informed the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) that the Port City Commission is not empowered to formulate duty-free rules for duty-free malls at the Colombo Port City.

This was revealed at a recent meeting of the COPF.The officials from the Port City Commission, who were present, owned up to the error and assured that the rules would be revoked by the end of this week.

However, the Port City Commission has already entered agreements with four investors based on these rules.

No official stepped forward to take responsibility.Given lack of clarity and accountability, the Committee was of the opinion that the aforesaid regulations had to be revoked forthwith.

The Committee directed the Ministry of Investment Promotion to identify the responsible party and asked them to outline measures to prevent similar errors in the future.

Such action was deemed essential to safeguard against potential discouragement of future investments, the committee said.

Furthermore, the Committee on Public Finance considered Gazette Extraordinary No. 2334/39, as per Section 24 of the Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka Law, No. 4 of 1978.

State Minister (Dr.) Suren Raghavan and Members of Parliament Patali Champika Ranawaka, Chandima Weerakkody, (Dr.) Nalaka Godahewa, Hon. Nimal Lanza, Premnath C. Dolawatte, Madhura Withanage, Mayantha Dissanayake, Rauff Hakeem, M. W. D. Sahan Pradeep, (Dr.) Major Pradeep Undugoda, Isuru Dodangoda were present at the Committee meeting held.

In a concerning trend for Sri Lanka’s higher education sector, approximately 900 university lecturers left the country in 2023, with expectations of more departures in 2024, as reported by the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA). This brain drain poses a significant challenge for Sri Lankan universities, which currently face a staggering 50% vacancy rate among lecturers.

The shortage is particularly acute as Sri Lankan universities require around 13,000 academics to operate optimally, considering the student population of approximately 155,000. However, with only 6,500 lecturers currently employed in public universities, the education system is grappling with a severe deficit.

Multiple factors contribute to this exodus, with the country undergoing its worst economic crisis and deepest recession since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. The economic downturn is reflected in a Central Bank of Sri Lanka report, indicating negative growth of -7.4% in 2022 and -3.8% in 2023.

Regressive government policies and inadequate social protection left many Sri Lankans at risk from the worst effects of the country’s economic crisis, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2024.

The Government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe continued to repress freedoms of expression and association, and pursue policies that discriminate against minority communities.

“Millions of Sri Lankans are struggling to survive an economic crisis that partly originated in corrupt, unaccountable governance,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch. “The current administration is responding with policies that weigh heaviest on those who have least, while suppressing voices that are essential for accountable, democratic decision-making.”

In the 740-page World Report 2024, its 34th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries. In her introductory essay, Executive Director Tirana Hassan says that 2023 was a consequential year not only for human rights suppression and wartime atrocities but also for selective government outrage and transactional diplomacy that carried profound costs for the rights of those not in on the deal. But she says there were also signs of hope, showing the possibility of a different path, and calls on governments to consistently uphold their human rights obligations.

The Sri Lankan government and International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) response to the economic situation undermined human rights in the country. More than 17 percent of the population are moderately or acutely food insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance, and 31 percent of children aged under 5 are malnourished, according to the United Nations. The IMF program focused on raising government revenues, and emphasized tackling corruption and improving social protection, but as structured it shifted the burden of recovery principally onto people with low incomes.

The Government raised electricity tariffs, doubled value-added taxes, and phased out fuel subsidies. The reform program included a “social spending floor” set at 0.6 percent of GDP, less than half developing countries’ average. The government’s plan of targeted social protection benefits led to the exclusion of many who do not have an adequate standard of living. In an attempt to manage its domestic debts, the government reduced the value of state-run pension funds in which ordinary people hold their savings.

The families of victims of enforced disappearance and human rights defenders in the north and east, faced government surveillance and intimidation. Government agencies pursued a policy of “land grabbing” that targeted the property of Tamil and Muslim communities, including religious sites.

President Wickremesinghe sought to suppress dissent, ending a moratorium on the use of the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act. A proposed new counterterrorism law, which was withdrawn for further revision, would grant authorities sweeping powers and create new speech-related offenses. The proposed Online Safety Bill would further restrict speech by creating a commission, appointed by the president, that could decide whether online statements were false or prohibited, order their removal, and participate in police investigations and prosecutions.