Sri Lanka’s Media Minister & Cabinet Spokesperson Bandula Gunawardena said that with his approval, the Board of Directors of Sri Lanka Rupavahini had leased the airtime of Channel Eye to Lyca Group for a limited period.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday (15) the Minister said that the airtime of Channel Eye was leased for Rs. 25 million per month.

Minister Bandula Gunawardena said cabinet approval was not necessary for it.

The Minister said that in the future, the airtime will be leased following a competitive bidding process.

Sri Lanka’s opposition raised concerns on Monday (14) over an agreement struck by the government with a privately-owned foreign broadcasting organization, to sell the air-time of Channel Eye, a television channel owned by the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC).

Speaking to the media on Monday (14), Politburo member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa revealed that the government has sold the air-time of Channel Eye to a company named VIS Broadcasting Pvt. Ltd. for a period of 6 months, effective from the 30th of July 2023.

“The organization named VIS Broadcasting Pvt. Ltd. has bought air time of Channel Eye to broadcast a channel named SBC TV. From what we know, SBC TV is linked to Lyca Mobile”, he said.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team will visit Colombo in a month’s time for the first review on Sri Lanka’s loan programme, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The Washington-based lender approved a nearly $3 billion bailout for crisis-hit Sri Lanka in March. The Asian island is struggling with its worst financial crisis in over seven decades, triggered by a severe shortage of foreign exchange.

The first review will take place from September 14 through the 27 and considers the programme’s performance until end-June, and if approved by both the staff and the executive board, would allow a disbursement of around $338 million.

The previous IMF’s staff mission to the country was in May, when the Fund’s authorities said that “the overall macroeconomic and policy environment remains challenging.”

Source: Reuters

An express train service between Talaimannar and Colombo will begin from September 15, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said today.

Speaking to the devotees at Madhu Church in Mannar, the President said a TNA MP played a significant role in resuming the express train service.

“I would like to thank TNA MP Charles Nirmalanathan for the role he played in getting the express train service started. I would also like to thank others who worked on the project,” he said.

The President also revealed that the government had approved the setting up of a sugar factory in Wanni.

“TNA MP Selvam Adeikalanathan was instrumental in getting this project on track.

“We have to make use of the sunlight, wind and the trees in this area. Therefore we have begun the initial discussions to start a project to set up solar panels on the Poonaryn tank. The North will be a center of power supply by 2040,” he added.

“Madhu is an indigenous religious festival. Therefore, it can be considered as a national event. The government therefore will assist the church to develop this historic place of worship,” he assured.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and State Ministers Tharaka Balasuriya, Janaka Wakkumbura and Kanaka Herath, MP Yadamini Gunawardena left for China to commence a four-day visit to the Yunnan Province in China yesterday.

The Prime Minister’s Office said that they arrived at the Kunming International Airport this morning (Aug 15).

The Prime Minister and the delegation were received at the airport by the Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Yunnan Provincial Committee Zhao Jin, Protocol Chief and other senior officials and Charge D’Affairs at Sri Lanka Embassy K. K. Yoganadan and other officials of the mission.

The Prime Minister will be the Chief Guest at the 7th China-South Asia Expo, jointly hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Yunnan provincial government, will be held from August 16 to 20 in Kunming, China.
According to Expo organizers, 60 countries will participate in this gigantic trade display. They include all South and Southeast Asian countries, and RECP member countries.

The 7th China-South Asia Expo is considered to be the most important economic and trade exchange events between China and South Asian countries. The 15 large pavilions will focus on promoting economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges with South Asia, as well as devote nine pavilions for regional cooperation, resource, industrial park, port, biopharmaceuticals and health, cultural tourism, modern agriculture, digital economy, and advanced manufacturing.

In addition to holding discussions with Chinese leaders on bilateral relations, economic cooperation, trade and investments, the Prime Minister is scheduled to Visit Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Science, Yunnan Provincial Energy Investment Group Co. Ltd. or Sinohydro Bureau and Photovoltaic Power Station of Yunnan Provincial Energy Investment Group Co. Ltd in Kunming and Gusheng Village and Experimental paddy field of Yunnan State Farms Group, Erhai Ecological Corridor, Exhibition and Experience center of Xiaguan Compressed Tea in Dali.

The Prime Minister is accompanied by Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake.

Chinese oil major Sinopec expects to start operations in Sri Lanka on Sep 20 and will be allowed to sell fuel for less than the maximum retail price set by the government, Sri Lanka’s power minister said on Tuesday (Aug 15).

Sinopec’s entry into Sri Lanka will help reduce pressure on Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves, and the island nation expects two other international fuel operators to start operations by October and November, Kanchana Wijesekera said.

“Reducing pressure on our foreign exchange with Sinopec’s entry will also help us increase fuel imports and strengthen the economy,” Wijesekera told reporters.

Australia’s United Petroleum and US firm RM Parks in collaboration with Shell are the other two companies that have received approval.

The entry of the new players will end a market duopoly of state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corp and Lanka IOC, a unit of Indian Oil Corp.

Under the new deal, the Chinese firm will be given a 20-year licence to operate 150 fuel stations and will also be able to invest in 50 new fuel stations.

Sri Lanka is grappling with its worst financial crisis since independence from the British in 1948 with reserves at US$3.8 billion at the end of July.

The island’s economy was severely hit last year by spiralling energy costs worsened by the war in Ukraine, which caused long lines at fuel stations and hours-long power cuts.

“Sinopec and Vitol have also been shortlisted for a refinery project in southern Sri Lanka and we expect their request for proposals to be handed over at the end of August,” Wijesekera added.

The refinery project is expected to cost as much as US$4 billion and has been in talks since 2019.

Source: Reuters

Amid speculation of factionalisation within the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) over its continued support for President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s policies, the party has reiterated its position that now is not the time for discussions on devolution of power.

SLPP general secretary and MP Sagara Kariyawasam told reporters on Monday August 14 that his party questions the wisdom of implementing the 13th amendment to the constitution, an India-backed devolution mechanism that President Wickremesinghe is keen to implement albeit with the exception of police powers.

“The country has yet to recover from bankruptcy. We don’t see implementing the 13th amendment at this time as a very wise move,” said Kariyawasam.

Kariyawasam is widely considered a staunch loyalist of SLPP national organiser and former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa. Another former loyalist of Rajapaksa is reportedly attempting to put together his own group of SLPP parliamentarians who support Wickremesinghe’s economic policies. However, it is one clear what this faction’s stance on devolution is at present.

“When a country is down, foreign powers and various NGOs may be looking to destabilise it. They may be looking to benefit from the instability of a country,” said Kariyawasam.

The MP said implementing the 13th amendment was not something anybody had urgently sought.

“It’s something the president himself brought up. It’s not anything that’s needed now,” he said.

Kariyawasam urged President Wikcremesinghe to put the matter of devolution aside for the time being and focus instead on rebuilding the economy as a top priority.

“Be involved directly in that and forget the other matters,” he said.

“The people do not expect you to devolve power. They expect you to do only one thing: to stabilise the economy and strengthen democracy in this country,” he said.

The SLPP said earlier in August that Wickremesinghe lacks the mandate for devolution of power.

“As a party, we have already asked the president and we ask again, our country is not in a position to even discuss devolution,” said Kariyawasam.

“We’ll discuss them once the economy is strengthened as a stable country. We can then talk about other things,” he said.

President Wickremesinghe on August 09 reiterated his call for implementing the controversial constitutional amendment aimed at resolving the country’s ethnic issue, amid muted opposition from various parties including sections of the SLPP.

Wickremesinghe told parliament that there are various issues pertaining to the implementation of the 13th amendment to the constitution as well as the provincial council system that it birthed.

“We have to resolve these issues in order to move forward as a country,” he said.

He said at a meeting of ahead of the all-party conference that Sri Lanka must either retain its provincial councils (PCs) with powers adequately devolved as provided for by the 13th amendment or abolish the PC system entirely.

The 13th amendment to Sri Lanka’s constitution emerged from the controversial Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987 as a purported solution to the worsening ethnic conflict, four years after war broke out. Provincial councils came in the wake of this amendment, though land and police powers have yet to be devolved to the provinces as originally envisioned. Both Sinhalese and

Tamil nationalists have historically opposed the amendment, the former claiming it devolved too much, the latter complaining it didn’t devolve enough.

A full implementation of the amendment would see land and police powers devolved to the provinces, a development that is not likely to garner support from Sri Lanka’s more hardline parties. In February, sections of the Buddhist clergy took to the streets against the proposed full implementation of the constitutional amendment.