Category: News

Independent Presidential Candidate & President, Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized that in this year’s presidential election, the people must choose between building a nation with a prosperous and stable economy or returning to an era of shortages and queues.

He made these remarks while addressing the “Ranil Can” (Ranil ta Puluwan) victory rally in Badulla last afternoon (16).

He President urged the public not to allow the country to fall back into an era of queues and hardship. He called for a mandate to continue the economic stabilization efforts initiated over the past two years.

Wickremesinghe said that while others, including Sajith Premadasa and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, remained indifferent to the suffering of our people, he prioritized their needs and worked tirelessly to improve our situation.

A discussion between international election observers who have arrived in Sri Lanka to monitor the upcoming presidential election and members of the Election Commission of Sri Lanka is scheduled to be held today.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Election Commission premises this morning (18). It will also mark the first meeting between the international observers monitoring the presidential poll and members of the Election Commission.

The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) are expected to participate in the discussion.

The international observers are meeting with Election Commission officials today as they are scheduled to visit various districts across the island for election monitoring activities from tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) emphasized the importance of maintaining law and order during the final week of the presidential election period.

PAFFREL’s Executive Director, Rohana Hettiarachchi, urged the public not to have any undue fears regarding certain false reports and rumors being circulated.

Disarray has once again surfaced within the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) over the endorsement of a presidential candidate. A five-member subcommittee appointed by ITAK’s Central Working Committee has unanimously decided to back Sajith Premadasa, issuing an official statement to that effect. However, MP S. Sritharan, a key figure in ITAK’s Central Committee, has openly declared that he does not support Premadasa.

The party held meeting yesterday (16) morning in Vavuniya, where the Central Committee reached a final agreement. ITAK leader Mavai Senathirajah, who had previously supported incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, confirmed the party’s backing of Premadasa.

In the ITAK committee’s statement, the five leaders called upon the Tamil people to vote for Premadasa, with MP M.A. Sumanthiran delivering a passionate speech yesterday in Jaffna, outlining why Premadasa deserves their backing. They emphasised that voters from the North and East would play a decisive role in this election and urged Tamils across Sri Lanka to ensure their votes count as stakeholders in selecting the next president.

However, MP Sritharan reiterated that he does not endorse the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) candidate or any other, including Ranil Wickremesinghe or Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

MP Sritharan recently travelled to the United Kingdom to raise funds for the Tamil common Presidential Candidate, P. Ariyanethiran. As such, it is evident that Sritharan would not back Sajith Premadasa. Sritharan stated that he favours a common candidate representing the Tamils, as Tamil aspirations and rights are the primary concerns for the people of the North and East.

Regarding a political settlement and economic upliftment for the North and East, Sritharan stressed that these issues are critical to the Tamil community.

The ITAK statement by Sumanthiran and the others noted that the SJB manifesto includes constitutional reforms, such as the enactment of the 13th Amendment, though ITAK has expressed concerns about the prominence given to Buddhism in the Constitution. ITAK maintains that resolving the ethnic issue and addressing Tamil aspirations, including a federal system, are essential proposals they have reiterated to all three leading presidential candidates.

Once the Presidential Election concludes, priority must be given to a new Constitution that addresses and resolves the Tamil political issue. It is vital that Tamil-speaking people – including Tamils, Upcountry Tamils, and Tamil-speaking Muslims are considered and united in this process. ITAK has consistently emphasised that the 13th Amendment cannot be regarded as the final solution to the Tamil national problem.

However, since the 13th Amendment was introduced into the Constitution with India’s intervention, it must be implemented as promised, according to ITAK’s statement.

Sritharan mentioned that during the initial round of discussions with ITAK’s Central Committee, he had submitted a written request that no decisions be taken regarding Premadasa’s candidacy until he returned. He then left for the UK after lodging his concerns.

“I told them (ITAK) to wait until I returned. Meetings could be held, but no decision should be made. ITAK’s General Secretary, Sathyalingam, assured me of this,” said MP Sritharan. “I even met the current ITAK leader, Mavai Senathirajah, who also agreed that no decision would be made on which candidate to support. However, despite these assurances, in August, a central committee of six members was formed, and they too, did not make a decision. But, suddenly, a decision was taken to support Sajith Premadasa. On whose authority was this rushed decision made? I have made it clear that this decision is neither final nor clear, and thus, I reject it.”

“We want to back someone who genuinely cares about the Tamils and their aspirations. My stance over the past three months has been to support a common candidate, one who reflects the wishes and concerns of the Tamil people. Even today, at the meeting, I emphasised this point. I told the Central Committee to endorse my statement that I do not align with the five members supporting Premadasa,” Sritharan continued. “Not only have I not endorsed Premadasa, but I have also not endorsed Ranil Wickremesinghe or Anura Kumara Dissanayake. I have consistently supported the idea of a common candidate and no one else,” he added.

Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong said both China and Sri Lanka are entering significant five-year periods and at a new turning point, which heralds greater opportunities for cooperation.

Addressing a group of journalists recently, he said a new milestone was reached as the Communist Party of China held the Third Plenary Session of its 20th Central Committee, which comprehensively deployed reforms in various fields and aspects with the economic system reform as the traction and put forward more than 300 important reforms, laying out a grand blueprint and systematic plans for further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernisation.

He said the next five years will be significant for China, as the session has explicitly requested that “The reform tasks laid out in this resolution shall be completed by the time China celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2029”.

“Sri Lanka is also entering a pivotal five-year period, with the Presidential Election scheduled for this year. Both countries are at a new starting point, which heralds greater opportunities for cooperation,” he said.

“Despite global turmoil and economic uncertainty, China has continued to maintain a robust development momentum with a strong strategic focus. By undergoing tremendous changes, China has become the world’s second-largest economy and an important engine of global development with its contribution to world economic growth at around 30 per cent over the years. China’s GDP for the first half of 2024 is approximately $8.57 trillion, while its total goods trade import and export value for the first eight months of this year reached $3.97 trillion. Therefore, we have every reason to be optimistic about the strong resilience, vast potential, and positive development prospects of China’s economy.

The success of China is nothing short of a miracle and its remarkable achievements across various sectors have garnered global recognition. For instance, China has built the world’s largest and full-fledged industrial chain of the new energy sector and provided the world’s 70 per cent of PV components and 60 per cent of wind power equipment. BYD, China’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer, has surpassed Tesla as the top-selling EV producer. Chin’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe successfully collected lunar soil and rock samples from the far side of the Moon, making China the first country to obtain samples from this previously unexplored region. Additionally, China is planning an ambitious Mars sample-return mission before 2028. China has the world’s largest high-speed rail network, which has grown to nearly 46,000 kilometres, with its operating mileage soon to exceed 20,000 kilometres, accounting for over 60% of the world’s total high-speed rail mileage. Emerging fields such as AI, big data and cloud computing are also thriving in China.

All these achievements can be attributed to the reform and opening up launched in 1978. Thanks to this correct and crucial step, China managed to catch up with the trend of the times quickly with great strides. Since then, China has undertaken many other crucial steps. In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organisation. In 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2020, China achieved the goal of eradicating absolute poverty.

According to the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernisation adopted at the session, the overall objectives of further deepening reform comprehensively are to continue improving and developing the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernise China’s system and capacity for governance. To realize the reform tasks, we will focus on achieving the following objectives: building a high-standard socialist market economy, advancing whole-process people’s democracy, developing a strong socialist culture in China, improving the people’s quality of life, building a Beautiful China, advancing the Peaceful China Initiative to a higher level, and improving the Part’s capacity for leadership and long-term governance.

China and Sri Lanka enjoy a very close economic relationship and have broad prospects for cooperation, which is evident to all. China is Sri Lanka’s second-largest trade partner, the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI), and the third-largest source of tourists for Sri Lanka. Throughout history, our multi-dimensional cooperation has played a significant role in promoting Sri Lanka’s development and benefiting its people. Flagship projects such as Port City Colombo and Hambantota Port are progressing steadily. Landmarks and other key projects like the BMICH, the Nelum Pokuna, the Lotus Tower, the Superior Courts Complex, the National Nephrology Specialised Hospital, the Outpatient Building of the National Hospital, as well as many expressways and power stations, stand as testaments of our rock-solid friendship and the enduring spirit of the Rubber-Rice Pact.

Sri Lanka has issued a clarification on the island nation’s diplomatic representation in Israel, in response to recent public discussions surrounding the country’s diplomatic presence in Israel, in order to prevent any misunderstandings.

Accordingly, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry stated that Sri Lanka continues to maintain its official embassy in Tel Aviv, which has been the sole diplomatic mission in Israel since 2000. “The embassy remains fully operational, serving as the primary diplomatic channel between the two countries”, he said in a post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter).

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has appointed an honorary consul in the Haifa region to extend consular support to Sri Lankans living and working in the area, the Minister clarified, adding that this appointment, made before the events of 07 October 2023, adheres to standard international practices.

“Honorary consuls, typically citizens of the host country, voluntarily provide essential consular services. The honorary consul in Haifa continues to offer such services, operating from an office they maintain in a voluntary capacity”, Sabry highlighted.

Additionally, the Foreign Minister expressed that since the date, Sri Lanka has not established any new consulates nor made additional honorary consul appointments in Israel. “Any claims suggesting otherwise are inaccurate and do not reflect the official position or actions of the Sri Lankan government,” he said.

He also noted that it is customary for honorary consuls to relocate their offices within their jurisdiction based on personal or business considerations, mentioning that these relocations are purely administrative and should not be misinterpreted as the establishment of new consular offices.

“We encourage the public and media to rely on verified and official sources for accurate information regarding Sri Lanka’s diplomatic activities and to avoid being influenced by unfounded or incomplete reports”, the minister added.

NPP MP Vijitha Herath hinted that the Prime Minister could be a female in a National People’s Power (NPP) government.

Speaking at a meeting in Minuwangoda, he said after the victory on September 21, a new Cabinet will be appointed with the powers vested with the President under Article 47.3 of the Constitution and parliament will be dissolved.

“The Oppotion camp questions as to how the NPP can run a government if Anura Kumara is elected President. After Anura becomes President, Lakshman Nipunaarachchi who is next in the list of preferential votes in the Colombo District will be sworn in as a new MP. Then, we can appoint a Cabinet of four members. We will appoint a new Prime Minister. The Prime Minister could be a male or a female,” he said.

Herath said there is only a seven member Cabinet in Switzeland and that four-member Cabinet can run for two months until a new Cabinet is appointed after the parliamentary elctions.

He said people question whether the NPP has any prominent figures to be elected as MPs and pointed out that there are so many professionals such as doctors, engineers and lawyers to represent the NPP in Parliament.

“Did anyone of you know Harini Amarasuriya before she became an MP? She was not known to the country. But now she is known by the whole country. We have so many such people who can make huge contributions,” he said.

Sri Lanka sees the Global Security Initiative (GSI) , a Chinese initiative, as positive towards world peace.

The Global Security Initiative (GSI) that China proposed to pursue common peace was widely echoed and endorsed by strategists and scholars worldwide at the 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, which opened on Friday.

With the theme of “Promoting Peace for a Shared Future,” this year’s forum paid great attention to the GSI with a dedicated session to discuss it, and in the meantime, many attendees discussed it on various occasions.

The Global Security Initiative encompasses comprehensive security, collaborating and common security and sustainable security, and at the same time respecting the UN system, said Jayanath Siri Kumara Colombage, diplomat and former commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, at a high-end interview session at the forum.

“Therefore, I look at the Global Security Initiative launched by China, and it is a very positive way of bringing peace to the world,” added Colombage.

China proposed the GSI in April 2022, giving clear answers to questions of the times, such as what security concept the world needs and how countries can achieve common security. The initiative vividly illustrates China’s vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity.

In the GSI concept paper published in 2023, China expounds the initiative’s core ideas and principles, reaffirming its commitments to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously, and peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, among other pledges.

Wang Fan, president of China Foreign Affairs University, introduced the background of the GSI at the forum, saying that in a transitional period of the international system after the Cold War era, many crises in the world are not managed or paid attention to by any country, which leads to the continuous emergence of security crises.

“The emergence of these problems makes us realize a very profound reality of the international community. The international community as a whole is peaceful, but we do not feel safe. Peace does not equal security, so we face a series of security challenges. So, what should we do in the face of such complex challenges? What role should the major powers play?” said Wang, adding that that’s why China proposed the GSI.

“I see it as a really constructive initiative,” Intizar Khadim, former director general of peace at the office of the National Security Council of Afghanistan, adding that throughout history, China has consistently played a constructive role, favoring non-intervention. He saw China’s peacekeeping missions in many regions, including Afghanistan, as highly effective and constructive.

“The GSI is not a new concept in its name. Its goal is to secure and consolidate global security for all nations. However, I believe China’s approach will be different from others,” said Khadim.

“The GSI will be significant for boosting global security,” said Selcuk Colakoglu, director of the Turkish Center for Asia-Pacific Studies, who told Xinhua that China’s GSI came in time.

With the declaration of the GSI, China has been playing a mediator or facilitating role for different issues and conflicts, said Colakoglu, adding that China has both the capability and credit to deliver security around the world.

Dmitry Stefanovich, research fellow of the Center for International Security at Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences, told Xinhua that the GSI is important and a great effort trying to fix all the things that went wrong in terms of international security.

“The GSI is a comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept. This initiative has gained recognition, understanding and support from many countries around the world, including international organizations such as the United Nations,” said He Lei, former vice president of the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, told Xinhua.

He added that the first step to implementing the GSI is to make people understand it and then use this theory and concept to guide countries worldwide to walk the path of comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security together.

(Xinhua)