Category: News

Protestors occupying the Galle Face Green were seen vacating the premises today ahead of the 5.00 p.m. deadline set by the Police. The Colombo Fort Police had informed those occupying tents and temporary shelters at the Galle Face protest site to vacate the premises by 5.00 p.m. on August 5 and threatened legal action against those who do not comply.

The library and the school of Gotagogama has been dismantled while the St. John’s Ambulance Service providing medical care also moved out yesterday. Several organisations involved in the protest such as the Black Cap Movement and the Collective of Social Media Activists releasing statements said they have also decided to move out.

While many activist groups have since vacated the grounds, some holding a press conference on Wednesday said they will not move despite the Police warnings.

Nevertheless giving the protestors a respite, the Attorney General today told the Court of Appeal that the camp site at Gotagogama will not be removed till 10 August in the absence of the necessary legal provisions.

Source: Asian Mirror

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Sarah Hulton called on Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena today (04).

They held discussions on the UNHRC process, and prospects for constitutional and economic reforms.

The two dignitaries had also discussed avenues for strengthening British-Sri Lankan relations in the fields of education, culture, and trade an investment.

In the meantime, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry PC had met with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.

Minister Sabry briefed the EU Representative on the recent developments in Sri Lanka and appreciated the EU’s continued support to the country.

In a tweet, the Foreign Ministry said it looks forward to positive contributions from the EU bilateral relations and cooperation,including GSP+, towards Sri Lanka’s financial stability.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry and the Indian Foreign Minister met on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting in Phnom Penh in Cambodia on Thursday.

After the meeting, Jaishankar tweeted: “A warm first meeting with FM Ali Sabry of Sri Lanka. Congratulated him on his new responsibility. Reaffirmed India’s commitment, as a dependable friend and reliable partner, to the economic recovery and well-being of Sri Lanka.”

Sri Lanka is in a moment of challenge and crisis but has an opportunity to create a more democratic and inclusive government, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

Blinken made the remarks in Cambodia at the start of a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart Ali Sabry, who said his country appreciates the U.S. role in securing support from the International Monetary Fund, Reuters reported.

The two were meeting on the sidelines of a regional gathering in Cambodia.

Foreign Minister Ali Sabry is in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to take part in the 29th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting from 4 to 5 August.

Meanwhile the U.S. Secretary of State said he also met with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar today in Phnom Penh to discuss the implications of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and Sri Lanka’s economic and political situation.

Train from Colombo Fort leaving to Badulla at 8.30 pm today & at 5.55am, 8.30am, 9.45am tomorrow (05 Aug) cancelled. Trains from Badulla to Colombo Fort tomorrow at 5.45, 8.30 & 10.15am also cancelled due to earth slips blocking tracks – SL Railways- adaderana.lk

Excerpts of Comments by US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken And Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry Before Their Meeting:
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Good afternoon, everyone. First I should say to you, Foreign Minister, congratulations on your appointment. We were very pleased to work with you in your previous capacity as a minister, but welcome this opportunity now.

Obviously, Sri Lanka is in a moment of challenge and crisis; the United States has worked hard to step in to support Sri Lanka in this moment. We’ve provided about $179 million worth of assistance of one kind or another, including loans and direct support, since June. But in crisis there is also opportunity, and I hope that – and we hope and will certainly support Sri Lanka in these efforts – there’s an opportunity in this moment to create a more inclusive, representative, democratic, responsive government and to use this crisis to seize that opportunity to make something very positive out of a very difficult situation. It would stand Sri Lanka in very, very good stead.

We’re also very supportive of Sri Lanka and the IMF working out an arrangement that also requires appropriate debt restructuring that has to be done on an equitable basis with all of the creditors doing what’s necessary to support Sri Lanka at this time.

But I appreciate taking the time to meet today and look forward to having a conversation. Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER SABRY: Thank you so much, Secretary Blinken, for your warm congratulatory messages when I took over. And I have worked very closely with your government in my previous capacity both as the finance minister and the justice minister, and we really appreciate the role played by the U.S. in trying to get an IMF bailout as soon as possible and the debt being restructured. We understand the challenges, and in this challenge we also understand there are opportunities. And one good thing about the whole thing is the Sri Lankans have been united in all this and largely they have been peaceful; there are no incidents. Basically the whole sort of revolution had taken place, but it had taken place very peacefully. So that’s the good part of it.

We see that there is a huge obligation on our part to put the country back on track and get its economy out of the woods, which we are going through right now, and we look forward to work with the American administration, U.S. administration throughout. And we are very thankful for all the support. In the recent past we have seen a very high-level delegation visiting Sri Lanka, and then we have had several roundtable discussions and we have had a lot of support for our IMF approach from the U.S. Treasury and State Department and from the government in general.

So thankful – thank you once again. And of course, we can’t forget the U.S. aid. USAID has provided a lot of support during these very difficult times. So I hope you will continue to provide that support and (inaudible) support, particularly some areas of very difficult reforms in (inaudible), and we look forward to working with the U.S. administration to do that. Thank you.

–With Agencies Inputs

TNA Joint Leader Vanni District MP and TELO leader Selvam Addaikalanathan has sought an explanation from the government over former controversial Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake’s sudden visit to Mannar on Tuesday (02).

Alleging that the former UNP MP had been accompanied by a group of senior representatives of a sea food company, lawmaker Addaikalanathan said that Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda owed an explanation.

The MP said that projects shouldn’t be implemented without consulting the people’s representatives in the Northern and Easter Provinces. The TNA representative said that the former minister had refrained from answering the queries raised by the media about the purpose of his visit there.