Category: News

A tussle has erupted between the Rajapaksa family as Basil Rajapaksa prepares to enter Parliament on July 8 and thereafter enter the cabinet by getting a ministerial portfolio, the Daily Mirror learns.

According to political sources, Basil has asked for the Finance portfolio which is held by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, but this has been rejected by the Prime Minister himself as well as his family.

Basil will take oaths as an SLPP National list MP on July 8 following the resignation of Jayantha Ketagoda, and will soon receive his ministerial portfolio by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. But this portfolio is yet to be finalised as Basil has requested for Finance or something similar in power.

The Daily Mirror learns that discussions are still ongoing among the Rajapaksa brothers and a decision will be made soon. According to reports, the portfolio of Economic Development was also being considered for Basil, a Ministry he held in the previous Rajapaksa government which was headed by Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Earlier, a major rift had erupted within the government following reports that Basil will take oaths as an MP and will receive a ministerial portfolio.

Some government coalition party members had objected to the move, citing Rajapaksa’s dual citizenship as a reason, and had voiced their disapproval to the President and Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, speculation is rife that Jayantha Ketagoda who resigned from his MP seat will be appointed as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia, in compensation to him paving way for Basil to enter Parliament. However, this is yet to be officially confirmed.

The JVP says the government has imposed a ban on demonstration and protests in a bid to suppress all opposition against the proposed General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence University Bill.

The JVP said the bill will be presented in Parliament and the government is expecting a huge public uproar against it and therefore has imposed a blanket ban.

Speaking during a media briefing in Colombo today, Chief Secretary of the JVP Tilvin Silva said the proposed bill will challenge the free education system of the country and it will also lead to militarisation of the sector.

The Chief Secretary of the JVP said the public has a right to express its opposition against such bills.

Tilvin Silva said the government which holds absolute power in Parliament has been passing detrimental bills against the state instead of providing relief.

He said the ban on demonstration was another move by the present government that has been using its powers to silence dissent.

He said the government should expect more sterner opposition if it continues its arbitrary rule.

The United States has maintained a warning of the threat of terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka. In an updated travel advise, Americans have been told to reconsider travel to Sri Lanka because of Covid and the “threat of terrorism”.

The US State Department said that that terrorists may attack with little or no warning in Sri Lanka, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets, shopping malls and government facilities.

It also says hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, hospitals, and other public areas are also at risk.

The US State Department issued the updated travel advise yesterday (6 July).

Following an earlier update in May when the terror warning was maintained, the US Embassy in Sri Lanka had clarified that the travel advisory issued at the time had been solely due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in Sri Lanka and that the terrorist threat level was maintained as earlier and not changed.

In the latest travel advise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US said it has issued a ‘Level 3 Travel Health Notice’ for Sri Lanka due to COVID-19, indicating a high level of COVID-19 in the country.

“Your risk of contracting COVID-19 and developing severe symptoms may be lower if you are fully vaccinated with an FDA authorized vaccine. Before planning any international travel, please review the CDC’s specific recommendations for vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers,” the travel notice said.

Sri Lanka’s Elections Commission issued an Extraordinary Gazette naming Basil Rajapaksa as a member of parliament.

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) named Basil Rajapaksa as a National List MP to replace Jayantha Ketagoda who stepped down as an MP on Tuesday (06).

Japan and Sri Lanka today discussed recent regional security issues, including the East China Sea and the South China Sea issue.

Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishii held a video teleconference with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

During the discussion, both sides exchanged views on bilateral defense cooperation and exchanges and welcomed the steady progress being made in a broad range of areas, including naval cooperation and aerial cooperation, the Japanese Defence Ministry said.

In this context, both sides welcomed the bilateral exercise “JA-LAN EX” which was successfully conducted in September 2020, Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel’s first participation in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise hosted by Sri Lanka and the U.S., which took place last week, as well as the successful delivery of the online Air Rescue seminar in May 2021.

Both sides confirmed that they will share knowledge and lessons learned from infectious disease control measures taken by the defense authorities.

Furthermore, both sides concurred that Japan and Sri Lanka will further promote bilateral defense cooperation and exchanges based on the Memorandum on Defense Cooperation and Exchanges signed in 2019.

Both sides also exchanged views on the recent regional security issues, including the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

In this context, Minister Kishi expressed strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by coercion in the East and South China Seas.

Both sides affirmed that they will send a clear message about the importance of free, open, and rules-based maritime order, the Japanese Defence Ministry said.

Both sides also concurred in maintaining close communication between respective defense authorities and proactively promoting defense cooperation and exchanges to uphold and reinforce a free and open Indo-Pacific.