While the focus was on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s visit to Germany, the Janatha Vimukthi Perauma (JVP) General Secretary, Tilvin Silva, was visiting China to deepen relations between the JVP and the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Undertaken on an invitation by the CPC, the visit saw the powerful JVP General Secretary meeting with Zhejiang Province Governor Liu Jie, Deputy Governor Lu Shen, the CPC’s International Department’s South Asian Region Director General Pan Xiu Bin, and other key representatives of the Communist Party of China.

The Sri Lankan delegation comprised Deputy Ministers Eranga Gunasekara and Muneer Mulafer, MPs M. Jegadeeswaran, Deepti Wasalathilake and Dharmapriya Wijesinghe, as well as JVP party members.

The JVP links with China go back to the days of its founder, Rohana Wijeweera, whose favour for the Chinese brand of communism over the Russian style cost him his medical degree he was pursuing at the Lumumba University in Moscow in the early 1960s. Wijeweera had enrolled at the Peoples’ Friendship University, better known as Lumumba University, in 1960 to study medicine in the heady days of communism. He returned to the country on a holiday in 1962, got caught up in the Sino-Soviet ideological dispute raging at the time and decided that the Chinese form of communism was more in line with the teachings of Marx and Lenin.

He returned to Moscow for his academic studies shortly afterward but came back to the country in March 1964 and became closely connected with the Peking (Beijing) Wing of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, becoming the General Secretary of its youth league and a vocal advocate of the party. When he applied for a visa to return to Russia in August of that year, his visa was rejected, thus ending his medical career midway.

After the 1971 insurrection, the then United Front government led by Sirimavo Bandaranaike suspected a Chinese hand in the events that year and closed down the pro-China North Korean embassy in Colombo.

N. Sanmugathasan, a founding leader (general secretary) of the Ceylon Communist Party (CCP) and leader of the CCP (Maoist), a strong critic of Wijeweera, wrote in his memoirs ‘Political Memories of an Unrepentant Communist’ that the JVP insurrection led to a crackdown by the government on Chinese interests in the country, with the Chinese news agency office as well as the Bandaranaike Memorial site, where Chinese engineers and workers were on a project, being raided and hundreds of books of Mao Zedong and his pictures confiscated. In one instance, a bonfire was made of all Chinese literature.

However, before relations between the two countries could run into serious jeopardy, Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai wrote to Mrs Bandaranaike, assuring her that the Chinese Government treasured the friendship between our two countries and its right to defend its sovereignty. The offer of an interest-free long-term Rs. Rs.150 million in convertible foreign exchange by China no doubt helped to prevent any diplomatic rupture between the two nations.

Much water has flowed under the diplomatic bridge since 1971, and the visit by the JVP General Secretary at the invitation of the CPC is aimed, no doubt, at expanding Chinese influence in Sri Lanka in the manner in which the government frames its future policies. As the famous Chinese saying goes, ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.’

This is not necessarily the first step in relations between the CPC and the JVP, but the recent signing of a collection of still-secret MoUs between the Dissanayake government and the Indian government, including one on defence cooperation, must surely be cause for some concern in Beijing.

The World Bank (WB) yesterday revealed that growth in Sri Lanka is forecast to decelerate to 3.5% this year, reflecting the scarring effects of the crisis, structural impediments to growth, and heightened global economic uncertainties.

Sri Lanka grew by 5% in 2024 in a sign of recovery following two years of negative growth.

The WB in its Global Economic Prospects publication also said Growth in SAR is expected to slow to 5.8% in 2025 as rising trade barriers weigh on exports, dampen business confidence, and weaken investment in the region. Growth is then set to increase to 6.2% a year, on average, in 2026-27, supported by improving activity in India and accelerations elsewhere, broadly consistent with the region’s potential growth estimates.

India is projected to grow at 6.3% in FY2025/26. The forecast has been downgraded by 0.4% relative to January projections, with exports dampened by weaker activity in key trade partners and rising global trade barriers. In the next two fiscal years, starting in FY2026/27, growth is expected to recover to 6.6% a year, on average, partly supported by robust services activity contributing to a pickup in exports.

Excluding India, regional growth is forecast to inch up to 3.6% in 2025 and firm to 4.4% a year in 2026-27, on average. Growth in Bangladesh is projected to increase to 4.9% in FY2025/26 and 5.7% in FY2026/27, with an expected rebound in investment, predicated on improving political stability and the successful implementation of reforms. In Pakistan, growth is expected to strengthen to 3.1% in FY2025/26 and 3.4% in FY2026/27, aided by contained inflation and declining borrowing costs. The projected strengthening of growth in Bhutan and Nepal partly reflects an expansion of hydroelectricity generation.

In Maldives, GDP is expected to expand by 5.7% this year and then moderate to 5.3% in 2026, partly reflecting global trade uncertainties and projected weakening in external demand. Growth in Afghanistan is envisaged to remain subdued at about 2.2% in FY2025/26 (late-March 2025 to late March 2026), due in part to disruptions in aid from donor countries.

The report stressed that key risks for South Asia include possible further intensification of trade barriers from major trading partners and heightened global trade policy uncertainty. Higher-than-expected global inflation and a decline in risk appetite could lead to a tightening of global financial conditions, potentially weakening currencies in the region and causing capital outflows. Other downside risks include the possibility of a surge of violence and social unrest in the region, as well as more frequent and severe natural disasters.

The Presidential Secretariat stated that if any individual who is supposed to be in prison is not, it is up to the relevant authorities to ensure that they are taken back into custody.

Following the revelation that an inmate from the Anuradhapura Prison had been released despite his name not being included in the official list of prisoners approved for a Presidential pardon on Vesak of this year, it has now come to light that over 60 such questionable releases have taken place over the past few years.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, the Presidential Secretariat’s Legal Director, attorney J.M. Wijebandara said that if someone who is supposed to be in prison is not, the institutions responsible should take the necessary steps to correct it. “No pardon means no pardon. If someone acted beyond their legal power to release prisoners, then, it’s up to the relevant institutions to fix the situation,” he emphasised.

When queried as to whether individuals who have been released illegally will be taken back into custody, he said: “As the Presidential Secretariat, we don’t have the authority to order arrests. If someone who should be behind bars is out, that’s a matter for the Prisons authorities to handle. We don’t need to be watching over every move. The law already gives these institutions the authority that they need. If they don’t take action, we can step in and monitor the situation.”

According to the President’s Media Division, the inmate in question had been convicted of financial fraud and was not included in the list of 388 inmates approved for a Presidential pardon for Vesak 2025. The approval process, as per the Constitution, involves recommendations made by the Prisons authorities, which must then go through the Ministry of Justice and National Integration, before being signed off by the President.

Meanwhile, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris told the Colombo Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday (10) that 68 inmates had been illegally released under the guise of a Presidential pardon during Christmas of last year (2024) and Independence Day in February 2025. Of the 68, he said that 57 were released during the Christmas period, and another 11 during the Independence Day pardon, despite not meeting the necessary legal criteria. He also noted that 338 inmates had been released from 29 prisons across the country during the Vesak Poya, and that at least two of them were released without valid approval.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, Acting Police Spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) F. U. Wootler, said that he was awaiting information from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) regarding the action to be taken against individuals who have been released from prison illegally. “I am waiting for a message from the CID on what action they are going to take against them. They (CID) should first receive the necessary directives from the Attorney General. Then they will proceed with the next part of the inquiry. I haven’t received that message yet, but as soon as I do, I will share it with you all,” ASP Wootler added.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is currently on an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany, was warmly received today (11) by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the President’s Media Division (PMD) announced.

Upon his arrival at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, President Dissanayake was welcomed with full state honours, including a ceremonial Guard of Honour presented by the German Armed Forces. The President also took part in the inspection of the military parade.

Following the official welcome ceremony, President Dissanayake and President Steinmeier held bilateral discussions.

Their talks focused on further strengthening economic and international relations between the two countries, with special attention given to enhancing cooperation in vocational training and the tourism sector.

Retired Brigadier Shammi Kumararatne of the Army Intelligence Unit, the main accused in the High Court trial concerning the abduction, murder, and disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, has been arrested on charges of intimidating a key witness.

The suspect was presented before the Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court today (11) and subsequently remanded until the 25th of this month.

Journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda went missing on January 24, 2010. Investigations conducted since then have revealed that he was abducted and murdered.

In connection with this case, the Attorney General has filed indictments against ten individuals, including retired Brigadier Shammi Kumararatne, before the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial at Bar. The trial is currently ongoing.

Most of the accused were serving in the Army Intelligence Unit at the time of the incident.

The Head of the Investigation Unit of the Authority for the Protection of Victims and Witnesses informed the Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court today that retired Brigadier Kumararatne had threatened Suresh Kumar, a key witness in the Eknaligoda case.

It was revealed that the threats were made on multiple occasions using the retired Brigadier’s personal phone number.

Additionally, the report submitted to the court included details of another threat made on June 6th from the same phone number by a former army officer.

Excerpt: An individual named Mohammed, identified as a military officer, allegedly called and stated that LTTE Intelligence Chief Vinayagam had arrived in Mannar with weapons through the port. He further claimed that the current government under Anura would not last long and that the next leader would be either Namal Rajapaksa or Vijeyweera’s son. He warned of an LTTE threat and urged the witness to come to Colombo and stay with him. This complaint was filed at the Ichchalampattu Police Station and reported by the Officer-in-Charge. End of Excerpt

The Head of the Investigation Unit also confirmed to the court that the phone number used to intimidate the witnesses has been investigated and verified.

Considering these facts, the Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court ordered that retired Brigadier Shammi Kumararatne be remanded until the 25th and instructed that he be presented before the Permanent High Court Trial at Bar on the 13th for the ongoing trial.