By

Lucien Rajakarunanayake

Ranjan Ramanayake’s refusal to accept any official position shows a commitment to independent action after gaining limited freedom from imprisonment.

The limited freedom that Ranjan has received with no civic rights is in fact a huge insult to one who has been an active politician elected to parliament by the people with a huge mandate.

The whole principle of release from prison is giving the person the ability to carry on what has been one’s system of living. The absence of civic rights to Ranjan is a denial of his system of life – politics, representation of and service to the people – that prevailed before he was sentenced to prison by the Supreme Court.

Ranjan’s present release and the cases against him on Contempt of Court certainly raises many issues about how our legal system covers or addresses the subject of Contempt.
The reality is that we do not have a Contempt of Court legislation passed by our Parliament, through 74 years of independence. Such legal delays are not confined to Contempt of Court, but several other important areas of action – social, economics, and human rights too.

Continue reading ‘Ranjan Ramanayake’s release and the cases against him on Contempt of Court certainly raises many issues about how our legal system covers or addresses the subject of Contempt.’ »

In what could be called a spontaneous outpouring of gratitude, huge number of Sri Lankans from all walks of life came together and filled the Grand Marquee to thank India for all of the support extended to Sri Lanka towards overcoming the economic obstacles the country has been facing.

In attendance was The High Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka H.E Gopal Baglay and Hon. Minister of External Affairs Mr Ali Sabry.
The event was organized by Sri Lankans with the thought of extending appreciation for the lifeline India threw to Sri Lanka at a time when the country was facing unprecedented challenges as a nation since independence.

Several distinguished Sri Lankans expressed their sentiments of goodwill towards their neighbour India, stressing on the common cultural and social values the two countries share. A citizens’ outpouring of gratitude towards India for reaching out to Sri Lanka in her time of acute need, was not only timely but also appropriate given the consistent level of co-operation between the two countries.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lankans from different Walks of Live Gather in Large Numbers in an Expression of Gratitude to Thank India for all of the support extended to Sri Lanka towards overcoming the economic obstacles the country has been facing in Recent Times’ »

By

Kishali Pinto Jayawardene

For a President once feted as a war hero, to creep back stealthily to a country that he fled from in panic as the angry public roared outside his gates less than two months ago, is classic filmfare.

Losing the dignity of citizenship

But this is not the stuff of celluloid. Rather, it is the grim and ugly reality of the Sri Lankan State reasserting itself in full measure. This time around, the ire of the State is aimed at the citizenry in full rather than selected targets in the majority or minorities as is its wont.

Households implacably slipping below the poverty line and unable to afford basic nutrition according to estimates by the World Bank, realise that truth to their painful cost. Once human beings disappeared in Sri Lanka, Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim.

Now, the thread of social existence, the dignity of earning one’s daily bread through humble but honest toil, indeed, the fundamental pride in citizenship itself has disappeared. How can there be any earning of daily bread when the price of a loaf of bread itself has quadrupled in the last six months?

Eggs have disappeared from public view much like the middle class itself has disappeared and basic utilities have risen to unaffordable levels for a quarter of the population.

This link between public suffering in daily nightmares of existence from the North to the South and stupendously corrupt politics which brought the nation to its bankrupt knees, had been shouted out by enraged protestors over the past several months.

It was this which propelled mass protests, bringing ordinary people in their thousands to Colombo to surround houses of the politicians who had ruined them.

Continue reading ‘Life may have resumed as normal for many. But the poor are squeezed just that little bit more and worse is anticipated, all in the name of economic reforms to return Sri Lanka from bankruptcy. On its part, the State has regrouped, predictably using all the formidable weapons in its arsenal.’ »

By Sandun Jayawardana

President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s interim budget, with ambitious goals of significantly increasing government revenue and reducing public debt by 2025, was passed by Parliament on Friday (2) in a vote where many in the opposition chose to abstain.

National Peoples’ Power (NPP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake asked for a division on the second reading of the interim budget, known as the Appropriation (Amendment) Bill at the end of a three-day debate on Friday evening. The bill was passed by a majority of 115 votes, with 120 MPs voting for and just five against.

The three NPP MPs were joined by the two MPs from the All Ceylon Tamil Congress in voting against the bill. There were 43 abstentions. The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) chose to abstain, as did 13 Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs led by former minister Dullas Alahapperuma who had crossed the floor on August 31 to sit with the opposition. MPs representing the group led by former Minister Wimal Weerawansa also chose to abstain. MPs from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) were not present when the vote was taken.

Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Chairman and former President Maithripala Sirisena, General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara and Shan Wijeyalal De Silva were not present at the time of voting.

Continue reading ‘President and Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Succeeds in Getting interim budget passed with 115 Majority; 120 MPs from Different Parties Vote for while 5 from JVP and ACTC vote against.Most MPs Abstain or are Absent’ »

By Marianne David

“We have to adopt multiple approaches to get more efficient State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs),” said LIRNEasia Chairman Prof. Rohan Samarajiva, in an interview with The Sunday Morning, outlining ways in which SOE reforms could be carried out to enable Sri Lanka’s recovery.

Following are excerpts of the interview:

Speaking at the #ReformNow conference recently, you said ‘the State has no capacity to privatise anything today’. Where do we go from here?

Apparently the President has also understood this fact and Rs. 200 million has been set aside to establish an SOE Restructuring Unit. That is a good start, but it is not enough. When you work within government, you have to first understand the constraints in setting up such a unit.

In 2003, when we were setting up the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), we figured that if we were going to have people who were capable of managing the best in the ICT sector, we had to pay them decent salaries. But from the day ICTA was created, there was an ongoing battle with the Administrative Service, which wanted salaries to be brought down and all these conventional government rules applied. That will repeat itself here as well.

Let’s assume we can get over that. Even then, this will require a significant mobilisation of external consultants. We have to understand that people may have knee-jerk reactions to this, but you have to spend significant amounts of money to get the right kind of experience. On the local side, you need people who are knowledgeable and self-confident, who can manage the consultants.

I think we have a good start. We need to quickly get over the problem of how this is to be structured, how we recruit the right kind of people, and how the technical assistance is to be funded.

Continue reading ‘“We have to adopt multiple approaches to get more efficient State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs),” says LIRNEasia Chairman Prof. Rohan Samarajiva; outlines ways in which SOE reforms could be carried out to enable Sri Lanka’s economic recovery.’ »

By Asiri Fernando

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa (GR) will be given a security detail in accordance with the Constitution following a threat assessment, Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles said yesterday (3).

“He will be offered a security detail from the Police and the Army in accordance with the privileges of an Executive President. Sri Lanka has done so with several former presidents and their families,” Minister Alles told The Sunday Morning.
He pointed out that former First Lady Hema Premadasa and former Presidents Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa remained under the protection of the State in accordance with the Constitution.

According to Alles, a protection group for the seventh Executive President will be formed, similar to the units formed for the previous presidents. This will be made up of Police and Army personnel, depending on the threat assessment that will be carried out.

Continue reading ‘Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be given a security detail from the Police and the Army in accordance with the privileges of an Executive President says Public Security Minister Tiran Alles’ »

By

R.K.Radhakrishnan

Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived in Colombo’s Bandaranaike International airport exactly the same way he left the country seven weeks ago—under cover of darkness and shrouded in secrecy—aided by Sinhalese politicians who closed ranks.

Just past midnight on September 3, a Singapore Airlines flight brought the former President back to his country. He was whisked away in a heavily guarded convoy of vehicles while media persons scrambled to confirm if indeed Gotabaya had arrived.

Sri Lankan media reported that he was met at the airport by Sri Lankan Ministers. They garlanded him and welcomed him back, an act which was unthinkable just a few weeks ago.

The same Ministers had distanced themselves from him as a restive crowd demanded the resignation of the government and forced the resignation of key Ministers and bureaucrats.

Continue reading ‘Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrives in Colombo’s Bandaranaike International airport under cover of darkness and is whisked away in a heavily guarded convoy of vehicles after Sri Lankan Ministers garland and welcome him back,’ »

Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday returned to the country from Thailand, nearly two months after he fled the country following a massive uprising against his government over the island nation’s worst-ever economic crisis.

Mr. Rajapaksa, 73, fled the country on July 13 after months-long mass public demonstrations demanding his immediate resignation on July 9 gained momentum after protesters stormed the President’s House in Colombo and several other state buildings in the capital.

Mr. Rajapaksa arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport amidst a heavy security presence. After being received at the airport by several ministers and Parliamentarians of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, Mr. Rajapaksa left the airport in a heavily-guarded motorcade.

Continue reading ‘Ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa Returns to Sri Lanka From Thailand by Singapore Airlines Flight; ariives at Katunayake Airport amidst tight security ;welcomed by SLPP MPs ,ministers and ex-ministers who take him to Colombo in a motorcade’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

Citing media reports of a Chinese firm investing in a sea cucumber farm in Pungudutivu, off Jaffna Peninsula in northern Sri Lanka, local fishermen have raised concern over its potential impact on their livelihoods, marine ecosystem, and land.

“We recognise the need for investment in our war-affected region, but the sea cucumber farms are mainly for exports. They will only bring more harm than benefit for those of us living here,” said Annalingam Annarasa, President of the Jaffna Fisheries Federation. The commercial ventures, they fear, could adversely affect the local marine ecology on which their livelihoods rely.

Small-scale artisanal fishermen like him see the government’s recent push on aquaculture as the latest blow to their livelihoods, already precarious due to the relentless bottom-trawling by Indian fishermen in their seas for years, and the drastic, nearly four-fold increase in kerosene price last month.

In 2021, Sri Lanka exported about 336 tonnes of sea cucumber to China, Singapore, and Hong Kong, according to local media reports.

Continue reading ‘Envisaged sea cucumber farm project with Chinese Investment in Pungudutivu off Jaffna Peninsula Causes local fishermen to raise concerns over its potential impact on their livelihoods, marine ecosystem, and land.’ »

(Text of speech made in Parliament by TNA Jaffna District Parliamentarian M.A.Sumanthiran on 01st September 2022 during the interim budget debate)

நன்றி பிரதித் தவிசாளர் அவர்களே, எனக்கு முன்னதாக பேசிய அமைச்சர் யாழ்ப்பாண பிரதேசத்திலே வெங்காய உற்பத்தியைப் பற்றிச் சொன்னார், மண்ணெண்ணெய் அவர்களுக்கு கொடுக்க வேண்டும் என்று பேசினார், ஆனால் இன்றைக்கு இரண்டு மாதங்களுக்கு மேலாக மண்ணெண்ணெய் இல்லாமல் அவஸ்தை படுகிறார்கள். விவசாயிகள் நீர் இறைக்கிற இயந்திரத்திற்கு மண்ணெண்ணெய் இல்லாமல் அவஸ்தை படுகிறார்கள், மீனவர்கள் கடலுக்கு செல்வதற்கு தமது படகு இயந்திரங்களுக்கு மண்ணெண்ணெய் இல்லாமல் அவஸ்தை படுகிறார்கள். இந்த விடயத்தை எவ்வளவு தடவைகள் எடுத்துக் கூறியும் அதற்கு எந்தவிதமான பதிலும் கிடைக்கவில்லை, கிடைத்த ஒரேயொரு பதில், 87 ரூபாவாக இருந்த மண்ணெண்ணெய் 340 ரூபாவாக 253 ரூபாவினாலே அதிகரிக்கப்பட்டதாக வந்த அறிவிப்பு. அறிவிப்பு மட்டும் தான், மண்ணெண்ணெய் வரவில்லை. மண்ணெண்ணெய் விலை அதிகரிப்பு அறிவிப்பு தான் வருகிறது அனால் மண்ணெண்ணெய் வரவில்லை.

முன்பதாக மீன்பிடி அமைச்சர் பேசினார், பானையில் இருக்கின்ற நண்டுகள் பற்றியெல்லாம் பேசினார், அவர் ஏதோ ஒரு உலகத்திலே இருக்கிறார், கொதிக்கிற பானையில் நண்டு விழுந்து சாகுதாம், வெளியால் பாய்ந்து சாகுதாம் என்று தன்னுடைய நிலையைப்பற்றி உருக்கமாக பேசிவிட்டு சென்றிருக்கிறார். ஆனால் கஷ்டப்படுகிற விவசாயிக்கும் கடற்றொழிலாளிக்கும் எந்த நிவாரணமும் கொடுக்கப்படவில்லை. இந்த வரவு செலவு திட்டத்தில் கூட, இந்த இடைக்கால வரவு செலவு திட்டத்தில் கூட ஒரு முன்மொழிவு இருக்கின்றது, மண்ணெண்ணெய் பாவிப்பவர்களுக்கு நிவாரணம் கொடுப்பதாக ஒரு முன்மொழிவு இருக்கின்றது. ஆனால் ஒதுக்கீட்டைப் பார்த்தால் ஒரு சதம் கூட அதற்கு ஒதுக்கப்படவில்லை.

There’s a subsidy that has been promised for kerosene, but no funds have been allocated, zero rupees have been allocated for that. This is in contrast to 46,000 billion that has been allocated for social safety net. We welcome that, in contrast I can site the health allocation, 248 billion a 3 % increase for health allocation, so what is in words as promised in the budget proposals you can also see it in rupees.

I am just contrasting that, with the promise to grant relief to kerosene users, yet no allocation is made. Now this is significant because the whole approach of this government is to silence the middle class and upper – middle class. So you are making petrol available now, you are making super diesel available now, but diesel is in short supply, and there is no kerosene.

Your priority must be the other way around- you must address the needs of those who need it most. Not the upper middle class. But you are doing that because you think, if you silence the upper middle class, then you can get by with blue murder- blue murder is what is happening around the country all round, every day we here of shooting; people being shot dead here, there, everywhere. Police are not investigating any of those crimes.

Continue reading ‘“Why has President Wickremesinghe signed the three Detention orders under the PTA in Sinhala instead of Signing in English as he normally does? Is there a change in personality? Is he appealing to some sections in the country by signing in Sinhala and that too on detention orders? -MA Sumanthiran’ »

An IMF mission led by Peter Breuer and Masahiro Nozaki visited Colombo from August 24 to September 1, 2022 to continue discussions on IMF support for Sri Lanka and the authorities’ comprehensive economic reform program.

At the end of the mission, Messrs. Breuer and Nozaki issued the following statement:

“The Sri Lankan authorities and the IMF team have reached a staff-level agreement to support the authorities’ economic adjustment and reform policies with a new 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with a requested access of about SDR 2.2 billion (equivalent to US$2.9 billion)”

“The new EFF arrangement will support Sri Lanka’s program to restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability, while safeguarding financial stability, reducing corruption vulnerabilities and unlocking Sri Lanka’s growth potential,” the IMF said in a statement.

“The agreement is subject to the approval by IMF management and the Executive Board in the period ahead, contingent on the implementation by the authorities of prior actions, and on receiving financing assurances from Sri Lanka’s official creditors and making a good faith effort to reach a collaborative agreement with private creditors. Debt relief from Sri Lanka’s creditors and additional financing from multilateral partners will be required to help ensure debt sustainability and close financing gaps.”

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka Reaches Staff Level Agreement with the International Monetary Fund subject to the approval by IMF management and the Executive Board in the period ahead:IMF will Provide a new 48-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) amounting to US$2.9 billion’ »

By Imesh Ranasinghe

Sri Lanka has only reached a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) prior to a staff-level agreement for an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI), stated former Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Deputy Governor Dr. W.A. Wijewardena, clarifying a report by Reuters published yesterday (31 August).

“The IMF has neither confirmed nor denied the Reuters report. We don’t know whether it’s true or not. But preliminary means we need to have further consultations. This is not the final agreement,” he stated.

Reuters reported yesterday, quoting four sources, that Sri Lanka and the IMF have reached a preliminary agreement on an emergency loan, while a formal announcement in this regard will be made today (1).

Following the report, IMF Senior Mission Chief for Sri Lanka Peter Breuer and IMF Mission Chief for Sri Lanka Masahiro Nozaki said in a statement that the IMF Mission in Colombo has extended its stay by one day, as discussions are still underway with the authorities. They had stated that they planned to conclude the mission and issue a press release today.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka has reached only a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) prior to a staff-level agreement for an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) states former Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Deputy Governor Dr. W.A. Wijewardena’ »

by Uditha Jayasinghe

Sri Lanka and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have reached a preliminary agreement on an emergency loan to the crisis-hit country and a formal announcement will be made on Thursday, four sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The debt-laden island nation had sought up to $3 billion from the global lender as it struggles with its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades. Sri Lankans have faced acute shortages of basic goods and sky-high prices for months.

Spokespersons for the IMF and the Sri Lankan government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka Reaches Preliminary Agreement with the International Monetary Fund(IMF); Formal Announcement likely to be made on Thursday Sep 1st’ »

Few moments better encapsulate the hope and hubris of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure binge, than the inauguration of Sri Lanka’s Colombo Port City in 2014. Xi Jinping, China’s president, attended in person, nodding approvingly as a project manager introduced the $15bn plan to build a high-tech offshore financial centre with a marina, hotels and luxury homes on 665 acres (269 hectares) of land reclaimed from the sea off Sri Lanka’s capital. Local officials likened the project to Dubai and Singapore.

Mr Xi called it a “major hub” of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road—the part of Belt and Road that aimed to reshape ocean trade by financing ports and related infrastructure without the pesky conditions that Western and multilateral lenders demand.

Flash forward to August 2022 and the future of Sri Lanka—let alone Colombo Port City—hangs in the balance. Crippled by fuel and food shortages, the country is seeking a bail-out from the International Monetary Fund after defaulting on its debt in May. Pakistan, another big borrower, is also in the midst of an imf bail-out and dozens more Belt and Road countries are facing debt distress.

The extent to which China, the world’s biggest official creditor, bears responsibility is hotly debated. But what matters now is how it responds. Sri Lanka will be a critical test of Chinese willingness to co-ordinate with other lenders, potentially at the expense of Mr Xi’s original geostrategic goals.

Continue reading ‘“Sri Lanka will be a critical test of Chinese willingness to co-ordinate with other lenders. The hope now for Sri Lanka is that Zambia’s deal has set a precedent for China to co-ordinate with other creditors”- The Economist’ »

By P.K.Balachandran

The Jaffna University Students’ Union has lashed out at the Chinese envoy in Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong, for extending support to the Sri Lankan government’s stand on the war crimes issue that is to come up for discussion at the UN Human Rights Council’s session in September.

In an article sent to the Sri Lankan media recently, the envoy had indicated that China would support Sri Lanka in contrast to some countries which had either ruled or invaded Sri Lanka in the past. The allusion was to the Western powers and India.

Continue reading ‘Jaffna University Students’ Union Lashes out Against Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong at Media briefing;signing of agreement between Jaffna Agriculture faculty and Chinese Agricultural institute indefinitely postponed;Chinese envoy’s visit to Jaffna cancelled.’ »

The two great heroes in Mikhail Gorbachev’s pantheon were 19th-century socialist thinkers, Alexander Herzen and Vissarion Belinsky, whose main concerns were the dignity of the individual, and whose books he knew almost by heart. When they appeared on the Russian stage, in Tom Stoppard’s trilogy “The Coast of Utopia”, he went to see them. At the end of the performance he was called on stage and given a standing ovation by an audience that, for the most part, had scarcely been born when, in 1985, he became the last general secretary of the Soviet Union.

The perestroika (“restructuring” or “reformation”) which he started never reached the destination he wanted, a democratic, humane socialism—perhaps because that destination was Utopia, rather than a real place. To the elite of modern Russia, he seems an oddity if not a traitor: a fool who brought about the collapse of the Soviet Union and made no money out of it. He had power, a comfortable life and the fate of hundreds of millions of people in his hands—and he let it all go when, on December 25th 1991, he resigned as president of the Soviet Union.

He had spent eight hours in a meeting with Boris Yeltsin, Russia’s president and his bitter rival, discussing the transfer of power. Afterwards, he went to lie down in his office—for the last time. When Alexander Yakovlev, his closest comrade, walked in, he saw tears in Mr Gorbachev’s eyes. “You see, Sasha,” said the president, “this is how it goes.”

Continue reading ‘Mikhail Gorbachev who ended the cold war was the last leader of the Soviet Union and the architect of its dissolution’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

Sri Lanka’s economic crisis is a consequence of the corruption over two Rajapaksa regimes, said former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, admitting she is “thrilled” by the aragalaya or people’s movement that overthrew them recently.

“When our systems have crashed and been destroyed consciously, how do you change things…the only way to change is through a socio-political upheaval, a revolution,” she told The Hindu, in an interview on the dramatic changes that Sri Lanka witnessed in recent months, amid a crippling economic crisis.

In her view, the island nation had reached the stage where, with two Rajapaksa regimes, “everything that was bad and hateful was stabilised in power…today we are bankrupt only because of the corruption of the [Rajapaksa] family and their acolytes,” said the two-term President and survivor of an attempted assassination by the LTTE.

Observing that she would “wait and watch” how President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who relies on the Rajapaksas’ party in parliament, fares, Ms. Kumaratunga contended that his government must opt for an economic model that combines a social welfarist model with a liberal economic logic.

While Colombo might have challenging foreign policy choices ahead, especially while negotiating external assistance, the government must opt for a “dynamic non-alignment” policy, she noted, accusing the Rajapaksa administrations of “veering too much towards one country”.

“I am personally very thankful that India has come in, giving us all this aid when they could have stood back and waited because they were not very happy with the Rajapaksa government’s policies,” she said.

For over 15 years now, former two-term President of Sri Lanka Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has stayed out of active politics. She re-emerged as a key player in the formation of the Yahapalanaya [good governance] coalition — of Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe — in 2015, only to witness the Sri Lanka Freedom Party of the Bandaranaike clan collapse after the Rajapaksas carved out their own party from it. Speaking to The Hindu at her Colombo residence recently, Ms. Kumaratunga reflects on the staggering developments in Sri Lanka over the last few months, and the way forward for the country’s political and economic progress.

Excerpts…

Continue reading ‘“I would say that the 225 MPs are hanging on by force. They do not have the people’s mandate anymore……… I fully agree that all 225 MPs must go and a new government with new faces and the right kind of vision must come to power.”- Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga in Interview with “The Hindu”’ »

By

V.Thanabalasingham

Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned from the post of Prime Minister on May 9. On June 9, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa resigned as a Member of Parliament. Following a mass uprising on July 9, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the Presidential Palace, flew abroad, and resigned from there. These three “9ths” have secured a permanent place in Sri Lankan political history.

This seems to have given some opposition parties a delusion that they can topple the government if they protest on the 9th. Therefore they declared August 9 as a day of mass protest and called upon the people to gather in Colombo.

The purpose of the call was to send President Ranil Wickremesinghe-led government home. Even though the Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) and Frontline Socialist Party were behind the call, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s Member of Parliament, former army chief Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, was in the frontline calling upon people to participate in the “‘final battle”. On July 9, the day of the historic popular uprising in the capital, the protestors were seen chasing away other politicians but a section of them was seen happily welcoming Fonseka. That reception seems to have given him a delusion that he has huge support in the protest movement. Fonseka behaved as if he was the main spokesman of the ‘Aragalaya’ movement both inside and outside Parliament.

He termed the orders issued by the government to suppress the popular protest as ‘illegal’ and appealed to the army not to follow those orders. Although 13 years have passed since he retired from the post of the army chief, he appeared confident that the soldiers will heed his request. Samagi Jana Balawegaya did not fail to declare that they had nothing to do with his call.

As expected, people were not interested in participating in the final battle on August 9. Those who called for that protest could not mobilize people in large numbers. Some trade union movements and supporters of the respective parties took out protest marches in some places. No one claimed to have seen the Field Marshal at any of those demonstrations.

Continue reading ‘The political class as a whole is not going to let people’s power decide as to how they should act. Even though the opposition parties speak in support of the ‘Aragalaya’ movement, they still support the govt’s current repressive measures in their heart of hearts.’ »

President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday rolled out sweeping reforms and relief via the mini-Budget to appease crisis-hit vulnerable groups as well as kick-start recovery in the economy.

The interim Budget was replete with reforms, especially in the public sector and included mandatory exit by December by all Government and semi-Government employees who are over 60 years old, from 65 reducing the retirement age to 60; restructuring of State-Owned Enterprises and consolidation of identified Local Government Authorities.

It also included provisions to accommodate the policy package introduced in January 2022, provisions for strengthening social safety net programs (Rs. 163 billion inclusive of Rs. 133 billion loan from the World Bank), additional cost (Rs. 263 billion) due to increased interest payments in 2022, provisions (Rs. 250 billion) for financing obtained through the Indian Line of Credit and increased cost of fertiliser subsidy (Rs. 63 billion), among others.

The Government has also directed around Rs. 300 billion out of capital expenditure and less priority spending allocated in the original budget 2022 for these purposes, including the provision of relief to those who are affected by the economic crisis.

“I am well aware of the difficulties faced by many due to the ongoing crisis. That’s why I decided to cut some of the capital expenditure and find room to provide enhanced support for vulnerable communities,” President told Parliament.

Continue reading ‘President Wickremesinghe rolls out sweeping reforms and relief via mini-Budget to appease crisis-hit vulnerable groups;“I am well aware of the difficulties faced by many due to the ongoing crisis.That’s why I decided to cut some of the capital expenditure and find room to provide enhanced support for vulnerable communities,” Ranil Tells Parliament.’ »

By P.K.Balachandran

Sri Lanka’s interim budget presented by President cum Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in parliament here on Tuesday, is intended to lay the foundation for a progressive economy even as it provides a buffer to the poor who are bearing the brunt of the current unprecedented economic crisis.

“The Interim Budget is basic to the formulation of a national economic policy in accordance with the new world order. Based on this foundation, the Budget for the year 2023, will initiate the process of creating a new economy,” Wickremesinghe said.

First and foremost, he called for an attitudinal change towards the political economy and appealed for the rejection of old ideas which have pushed the country downhill.

“From the time the Government nationalized businesses, most of the tax revenue of our country has been spent to cover their losses. Funds which have to be utilized for the necessities of the community, are being wasted on keeping these companies afloat. Government should be formulating policies and implementing them. However, presently the Government does everything and the people also expect such from the country’s administration,” he said.

“We have not been following appropriate policies, not only in relation to state enterprises, but also in attracting foreign investments. Continuously, there has been no proper use of the nation’s resources, that too in the guise of seeking to protect state assets,” he said.

“If we can nourish our minds with creative thoughts, according to the current trends of the modern world, then we can solve the economic crisis,” he added.

Continue reading ‘President cum Finance Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Presents Sri Lanka’s interim budget which is intended to lay the foundation for a progressive economy even as it provides a buffer to the poor who are bearing the brunt of the current unprecedented economic crisis.’ »

By Jehan Perera

The ruling party has requested President Ranil Wickremesinghe to facilitate the return of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to the country and his appointment as prime minister. The former president left the country when large numbers of protestors who had been actively protesting against the economic collapse and corruption in the country took over his presidential residence.

Few would wish to see a former president going from country to country seeking asylum. Even those who have supported the protest movement are unlikely to oppose his return to the country. However, any attempt to promote his active participation in political affairs is likely to be controversial and would also go against the “GotaGoHome” struggle’s main objective and can undermine the government.

The primary target of the protest movement was the former president who was held responsible, as the political leader holding the most power, for the economic crisis in the country. There were other reasons as well, such as his ill-advised decision to ban chemical fertilisers and convert Sri Lankan agriculture to organic status overnight. This policy brought visible disaster to farmers within a few months.

Further, appointing the former president as prime minister will necessarily displace the sitting prime minister, Dinesh Gunawardena, who is a leader of an influential faction within the government and is also personally close to President Ranil Wickremesinghe in a way that makes a partnership possible. The fact that the prime minister is the person who will succeed the president if anything should happen to the president is also likely to play a role in the final decision on this matter.

Continue reading ‘The ongoing crackdown on the protest movement needs to cease. Its excessive nature is discrediting the government in the eyes of the international community as well as within the country. The blame for this is falling squarely on the president’ »

By Nisthar Cassim

Saddled with nearly half a trillion rupee accumulated losses and $ 1 billion in debt and dues, SriLankan Airlines Group is to be restructured inviting foreign operators to take up 49% equity stake and management to ensure the national carrier no longer becomes a burden on the public.

Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday revealed the way forward for Sri Lanka’s flag carrier which he will propose to the Cabinet of Ministers for final approval. The rationale for critical restructuring and the process were shared with trade unions, industry stakeholders and media.

Minister de Silva said given the country’s financial, forex and economic crisis, the Government can no longer fund the national carrier which for the past 10 years had made a collective loss of Rs. 435 billion. Latest FY22 saw the worst performance with Rs. 165 billion loss, largely due to 40% depreciation of the rupee whilst in the past 2019 Easter Sunday and COVID pandemic impacted its performance.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan Airlines Group to be restructured by inviting foreign operators to take up 49% equity stake and management;Govt Unable to fund Loss making National Carrier any longer’ »

Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera yesterday in Parliament defended the decision to increase electricity tariffs, citing spendthrift generation plans and unsuitable policies adopted by successive governments pushed for the inevitable upward adjustments.

Speaking during an adjournment debate on electricity tariff hike, he pointed out that electricity users would not have been shocked if timely revisions were implemented from time to time, whilst diversifying the power generation mix with cost-effective and renewable sources.

Continue reading ‘Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera defends decision to increase electricity tariffs, citing spendthrift generation plans and unsuitable policies adopted by successive governments pushed for the inevitable upward adjustments.’ »

By

(The writer is a retired military intelligence specialist on South Asia associated with the Chennai Centre for China Studies)

The controversial visit of China’s “spy ship” Yuan Wang-5 to Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port from August 16 to 22 is perhaps Sri Lanka’s most commented news story, next only to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s escape in stealth from the island-nation a few weeks earlier. The reason is not far to seek; the research ship belongs to the PLA’s 5th branch – the Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) created in December 2015 to carry out space, cyber and electronic warfare. The ship is equipped with advanced electronic equipment, sensors and antennae to assist PLA’s land-based stations in tracking satellite, rocket and ICBM launches within a range of 750 km.

Sri Lanka’s foreign affairs ministry originally allowed the vessel to dock in Hambantota from August 11 to 17. India expressed its security concerns over berthing the ship in Hambantota as soon as reports indicated that the ship was heading to the Sri Lankan port. The US also had expressed its security concerns. Perhaps in deference to India’s concerns, the ministry in a message to the Chinese embassy asked the visit be delayed until further consultations.

The Chinese embassy clarified that the maritime research vessel’s visit was for replenishment and refuelling and did not pose a threat to any security or economic interests. It eventually succeeded in pressuring Sri Lanka’s defence ministry to allow the research vessel to berth in Hambantota port from August 16 to 22, after laying down conditions that it would switch off its tracking equipment.

The media pundits in India went to town with analyses of how the ship’s berthing in Hambantota would compromise the security of our naval bases and satellite launch sites and missile launches. The plain truth is Yuan Wang-5 is capable of carrying out all these actions even without docking in Hambantota port. Many analyses across global media had been cautioning the US of China overtaking it as a strategic power. These analyses were basically revisiting the bogey of China’s growing military prowess in the Indo-Pacific.

Social media castigated Sri Lanka for its “ungratefulness” to India, which had gone all out to lend a helping hand in times of Sri Lanka’s economic distress, unlike China. Some critics called it a violation of the India-Sri Lanka Accord 1987, though the Accord has no specific clause forbidding the berthing of warships of other countries in Sri Lanka ports in peacetime. Moreover, Sri Lanka had been repeatedly reassuring India at various levels that it would not allow the use of its soil to pose a security threat to India.
The controversy over Yuan Wang-5’s visit is timed to draw attention away from growing India-Sri Lanka relations, which are on the apogee. Probably it is also aimed at reminding Sri Lanka that it cannot afford to ignore China’s interests, now embedded in the body politic of the island-nation. Moreover, for some time now, Sri Lanka is in talks with India at multiple levels to upgrade its transactional relations into a strategic relationship.

These efforts have encouraged India to extend all out support to the people of Sri Lanka to meet their essential economic and energy requirements after the country went bankrupt. India’s support has continued, in spite of political uncertainties in the country after the unceremonious exit of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the ascent of Ranil Wickremesinghe as president.
It is worthwhile to examine the Yuan Wang-5 issue in the larger context of the strategic dynamics of the Indo-Pacific. Alfred North Whitehead, mathematician and process philosopher considers “symbolism as no mere idle fantasy or corrupt degeneration. It is inherent in the very texture of human life.” His words: “there is urgency in coming to see the world as a web of interrelated processes of which we are integral parts, so that all of our choices and actions have consequences for the world around us” have great relevance in understanding the substance behind China’s acts of symbolism.

India celebrated Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav—75 years of India’s independence—on August 15. On that day, the Xinjiang command conducted live-fire drills near the LAC with a “new type of surface-to-air missile” at an altitude of more than 4,500 metres (14,760 feet). A report in the South China Morning Post quoted military observers to say the weapons appeared to be HQ-17A air defence missiles, part of an integrated system that can fit in a single vehicle. Yuan Wang-5 steaming into Hambantota a day after India’s Independence Day is also symbolic of China enforcing its writ in Sri Lanka despite India’s security concerns.
More than all this, Yuan Wang-5 is a demonstration of PLASSF capability as part of China’s power projection in space and cyberspace. The SSF is also designed to coordinate intelligence sharing and operations in the informatized battlefields in real time. Informatization has been the mantra of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ever since PLA thinkers drew many lessons from their observations of the US Gulf War (1991) and Iraq War (2003). In their assessment, the US used effective coordinated employment of global media, international law, and other psychological warfare techniques. The use of these techniques collectively referred to as “three warfares” could enhance results as military operations became more and more dependent on information technology tools.
The concept of “three warfares” was incorporated in the PLA Political Work Regulations for future conflicts in 2003. This has resulted in increased coordination of civil and military organs of state since then to get the best results of “three warfares”.
The timing of the Yuan Wang-5 controversy is uncanny. On June 6, India successfully carried out the training launch of the intermediate range ballistic missile Agni-4 from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off Orissa under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command. The visit of Yuan Wang-5 is perhaps China’s way of flaunting its capability to track India’s ICBM launches. A month later, PLA tested an advanced PHL Multiple Lau¬nch Rocket System (MLRS) at an altitude of more than 5,300 metres in the Xinjiang Region.
India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has been on a mission for some time to lay bare China’s double speak on matters related to India in many international forums. Only a month earlier, the 16th round of border talks between Corps Commanders of India and China ended in yet another stalemate. Last week in Bangkok, Jaishankar said the relationship between India and China is going through an “extremely difficult phase” after the Galwan incident in the Ladakh border in 2020. He emphasised that the Asian Century will not happen if the two neighbours could not join hands. “We very much hope that wisdom dawns on the Chinese side,” he said while replying to a question in Bangkok.
Now on a six-day tour of South America, Jaishankar said China has cast a shadow on bilateral ties by disregarding border pacts with India. He said the relationship cannot be a one-way street. “They are our neighbour and everybody wants to get along with their neighbour…But everybody wants to get along with their neighbour on reasonable terms. I must respect you and you must respect me,” he added. The EAM said “from our point of view, we’ve been very clear that if you have to build a relationship, then there has to be mutual respect. Each one will have their interests and we need to be sensitive to what the concerns are, of the other party.”
Sri Lanka is caught not only in the midst of muscle flexing between India and China in the Indian Ocean region, but it is also facing the flak of the strategic maelstrom blowing across the Indo-Pacific, after the visit of the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan on August 2. President Xi Jinping had spoken to POTUS Joe Biden, a month earlier to prevent the visit.

According to media reports, President Biden not only told Xi that he “could not oblige” as the US Congress was an independent body, but also warned the Chinese president against taking any “provocative and coercive” actions if the visit took place. Pelosi’s visit may be considered a big loss of face for Xi, particularly when he is poised to be re-elected as the CCP General Secretary in the next few months. The invectives China has used to condemn the US and its allies on this issue show that the stand-off over Taiwan is likely to continue for some time. We can expect the spill over of the continuing US-China confrontation in the Indian Ocean region in the coming months. It is imperative that China’s symbolic acts are studied to gauge the substance behind them to understand its intentions.

**************************

By Asiri Fernando

Sri Lankan politicians need to come together to form a credible government that can regain international confidence to lead the country to recovery, Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader and Opposition Member of Parliament Mano Ganesan told The Sunday Morning.

Mano Ganesan

The trilingual member from Colombo stressed that the silver lining during the current crisis Sri Lanka was facing was a “God-given opportunity to change our country’s direction” and urged all parties to collectively support the interim government in its efforts to move towards economic recovery.

Ganesan also warned that Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) involvement in the interim government could undermine efforts to rebuild trust and credibility with the international communities at a time when Sri Lanka desperately needed help. While acknowledging that the President and Parliament did not have the mandate of the people, Ganesan called for early General Elections to seek a new mandate from the public. He also said that Sri Lanka needed solid policies on constitutional reforms and reconciliation, not words and slogans.

In an interview with The Sunday Morning, the Opposition MP and award-winning rights activist called for the removal of the much-criticised Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), clarity on law enforcement practices, and the full implication of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

Following are excerpts of the interview:

Q;What are your thoughts on the current political climate and the ongoing crisis?

A; We are at a crossroads politically, economically, and culturally. I always look for the light in a dark situation. Even though the tunnel may be long, I can see some light at the end of it. Despite the crisis, I believe we have a God-given opportunity to change our country’s direction.

While the crisis is hard, we must use this opportunity to find answers for long-term issues that we have been facing. You need a crisis to trigger change. This is what history teaches us. Yes, there is a price to pay for it. However, we should not waste this opportunity to make Sri Lanka a better place.

Continue reading ‘“We want the 13th Amendment to be fully implemented. We want Sri Lanka to be constitutionally recognised as multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, and multi-religious in nature. My view, which is now picking up support, is that Sri Lanka should be a secular state.”- TPA Leader Mano Ganesan’ »

By

Krishantha Prasad Cooray

Crisis and turmoil are probably the opposite of sun and sand. The very whiff of these words associated with a country in the news deters most travellers from visiting even the most beguiling of destinations. The discerning traveller, however, spots opportunity, for not all crises are equal.

Some can, in fact, lead to a six-star vacation at a three-star price. Put another way, a European for example, could consider the option of a four-month tropical holiday as opposed to footing a gas bill four times the cost of such a vacation. Consequently, today, if we were to mark the countries in crisis on a map, the country that immediately fits this criterion would be Sri Lanka.

Among the many heart-warming stories of how humanity rose above all the trauma and enforced deprivation produced by the Covid-19 pandemic is one that didn’t really go viral worldwide. Some 40 tourists, mostly young backpackers on shoestring budgets, were stranded in Ella, 200 km east of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. Darshana Ratnayake, a cafe owner, knew that the small bed-and-breakfast lodges would soon run out of food due to severed supply chains and be forced to shut down. He offered free food and shelter for the tourists.

For Ratnayake the decision was easy: ‘Our livelihood depends on tourism. We must help tourists when they are in trouble. Money isn’t everything. We must help and share at difficult times like this.’

The Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan ways of this story are timeless. They have survived all manner of calamities, human-made and natural, from floods, droughts, cyclones and a debilitating tsunami in recent years and, in the longue durée, half a millennia of colonial rule, over seventy years of gross mismanagement after Independence, two bloody insurrections and three decades of war.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka is in an economic crisis, there’s no reason to deny it. And yet, Sri Lanka stands firm, unbowed and continues to smile despite trade imbalance, shortage of fuel, gas and fertiliser, and other hardships.’ »

By

Kishali Pinto Jayawardene

The 1970s-1980’s Prevention of Terrorism (PTA) playbook wielded with consummate skill by his uncle Junius Richard will not work in modern-day Sri Lanka, President Ranil Wickremesinghe must be categorically told.

Absurd actions of the State

In fact, the comedy of errors where well-known sports champions to well-meaning citizens who provided food and water to young protestors are being hauled up by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) would be funny if it was not so deadly serious.

There had always been a touch of farce about the way that Sri Lanka’s Deep State operates. I remember appearing in a case where a Tamil engineer had been arrested under the PTA by a famously wayward police and army checkpoint off Stanley Wijesundera Mawatha purely because he stuttered.

That was the only reason that the police could present hesitatingly before the Supreme Court when the arrest was challenged, the police officers themselves conscious of the absurdity thereof. That was not only the only thing absurd about that case.

This unfortunate professional had been arrested on grounds of ‘suspiciously stammering’ when all he had was a natural stutter, taken to the Colpetty police station and left to his own devices outside unguarded while the police officers who had him in their charge, went inside to have a cup of tea.

Continue reading ‘President Ranil Wickremesinghe must be categorically told that the 1970s-1980’s Prevention of Terrorism (PTA) playbook wielded by his uncle JR Jayewardene , will not work in modern-day Sri Lanka.’ »

By
Meera Srinivasan

Sharply reacting to recent remarks of the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, on the controversial visit of a Chinese military vessel from August 16 to 22, the Indian mission in Colombo said they “violated basic diplomatic etiquette” and “gave away” the purpose of the vessel’s visit.

In a strongly worded Twitter thread late on Saturday, the Indian High Commission said it had noted the remarks of the Chinese Ambassador. “His violation of basic diplomatic etiquette may be a personal trait or reflecting a larger national attitude,” the Indian mission said.

Continue reading ‘Indian High Commission in Colombo Responds Strongly to Chinese Envoy’s Article in Sri Lankan Media Saying “His violation of basic diplomatic etiquette may be a personal trait or reflecting a larger national attitude”’ »

After serving one year and seven months of a four-year prison sentence, popular actor and former Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Ranjan Ramanayake walked out of the Welikada Prison and into the arms of an adoring crowd on Friday (26).

Mr Ramanayake walked out a free man after President Ranil Wickremesinghe granted a conditional presidential pardon. He was escorted out through the gates of the prison by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and other SJB MPs.

Also present was Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara. Mr Nanayakkara and Tourism and Lands Minister Harin Fernando, who had defected from the opposition to assume ministerial positions in the government several months ago, had insisted on granting a presidential pardon to Mr Ramanayake as one of the conditions for joining the government.

The popular film star was mobbed and garlanded by fans, well-wishers and SJB supporters who had showed up outside the prison in large numbers. They were far less charitable towards Minister Nanayakkara who had to make a hasty exit after being booed by the crowd.

Continue reading ‘“I can’t speak like I used to on certain issues as there is a risk of the suspended prison sentence against me being reactivated and me being sent back to prison for a further five years,” says Ranjan Ramanayake’ »

The Japanese embassy has requested the Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) to refund the money spent for the import of four reconditioned waste-collection trucks after the project was delayed for more than three years.

The embassy has written to the council to refund Rs 14.3 million (USD 83,432) which was given for the import of the four trucks.

“It is greatly regrettable that the project has already been three years late over the schedule and you were unable to implement the project,” the embassy informed Mayor V. Manivannan on the cancellation of the project.

Continue reading ‘Japanese Embassy Asks Jaffna Municipal Council to Refund Rs 14,329,446 Given in 2019 to Purchase four reconditioned waste-collection trucks ;”greatly regrettable that the project has already been three years late over the schedule and you were unable to implement the project,” the embassy informs Mayor V. Manivannan on the cancellation of the project.’ »

(Text of Statement issued by the Police explaining the reasons for arresting Wasantha Mudalige, Hashan Jeewantha Gunathilaka and Galwewa Siridamma Thera under provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979)

On 18.08.2022, Mudalige Wasantha Kumara of Ulpatha Niwasa, Dambana, Mahiyanganaya and Gunathilaka Siriwardanalage Hashan Jeewantha Gunathilaka of Mathupola, Pallama were arrested at New Chetty Street, Colombo by the Divisional Crimes Detective Bureau of Kelaniya Police Division, on the grounds that these On the arrest of Wasantha Mudalige, Hashan Jeewantha Gunathilaka and Galwewa Siridamma Thera in terms of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979, the Police explain the following:

On 18.08.2022, Mudalige Wasantha Kumara of Ulpatha Niwasa, Dambana, Mahiyanganaya and Gunathilaka Siriwardanalage Hashan Jeewantha Gunathilaka of Mathupola, Pallama were arrested at New Chetty Street, Colombo by the Divisional Crimes Detective Bureau of Kelaniya Police Division, on the grounds that these suspects who while being the members of an unlawful assembly committing offences into which the investigations may be conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979, who were escaping by a motor bicycle.

On 18.08.2022 Ven. Galwewa Siridamma Thera of Kodikanda Aranya Senasanaya, Thunmodara, Hanwella, was arrested at Narahenpita by the Borella Police for being the suspect of a case bearing the number of Fort Magistrate’s courts B 22362/22 (being a member of the unlawful assembly formed on 09.06.2022 in front of the Police Headquarters) and of a case bearing the number of Fort Magistrate’s Court’s B 22236/22 (being a member of an unlawful assembly formed on 28.05.2022) and kept under custody of the Fort Police Station on the same day. Thereafter, this suspect was transferred to the custody of the Thalangama Police Station in connection with a case bearing number B 50948 in the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court.

Continue reading ‘Police explainin the reasons for arresting Wasantha Mudalige, Hashan Jeewantha Gunathilaka and Galwewa Siridamma Thera under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) No. 48 of 1979)’ »

Former MP and State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake was freed yesterday from prison after a conditional pardon by President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, Labour and Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara, MPs Nalin Bandara and Harshana Rajakaruna were present outside the Welikada prison along with supporters to welcome him.

Ramanayake who was serving a four-year rigorous imprisonment since January 2021 for contempt of court.

Continue reading ‘Former MP and State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake walks out a free man after being released from a 4 year rigorous imprisonment sentence; President Wickremesinghe grants conditional pardon stipulating that Ramanayake should not make any statement critical or derogatory of the entire judiciary in future.’ »

by Qi Zhenhong

(This article written by Mr. Qi Zhenhong the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka was first published in the “Sri Lanka Guardian”)

In recent days, two pieces of news related to China have widely caught the eyes in Sri Lanka. Early this month, after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s sneaky visit to China’s Taiwan region, the Chinese side responded with firm countermeasures immediately. Over 170 countries around the world have all expressed their firm support for the One-China Principle and strong objection against the US provocation. I’m grateful to see that H.E. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, many Sri Lanka’s political parties and social groups have also openly spoken up for justice in support of China.

Continue reading ‘China always supports Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integritywhile some countries,far or near, always make various groundless excuses to bully Sri Lanka and trample on Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and independence repeatedly.’ »

BY
Lakmal Sooriyagoda

The Colombo Fort Magistrate today issued an order directing the CID to conduct an investigation into a contemptuous statement alleged to have been made by Puttalam District Parliamentarian Sanath Nishantha.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage ordered the CID to examine the video footage of a press conference attended by Sanath Nishantha in order to determine whether remarks made by the parliamentarian are detrimental to the judiciary.

Continue reading ‘Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage issues order directing the CID to conduct an investigation into a contemptuous statement allegedly made at a press conference by Puttalam District Parliamentarian Sanath Nishantha Following Submissions made by President’s Counsel Upul Jayasuriya’ »

Four suspects have been arrested by the Kolonna police over setting ablaze a luxury hotel owned by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s youngest son Rohitha Rajapaksa on May 10.

Police said the suspects were arrested on Monday and Tuesday for stealing items and setting on fire to the ‘Green Eco Lodge’ Hotel on May 10 situated at Gongalakanda in Kolonna, Embilipitiya, close to Sinharajah.

The suspects aged 25 and 50 years were identified as residents of Kolonna.

Continue reading ‘Four Suspects Arrested by Police for burning down on May 10 the ‘Green Eco Lodge’ Hotel in Kolonna that was Owned by Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Youngest son Rohitha who is unemployed and whose sources of income Remain a mystery’ »

BY Aloka Kasturiarachchi

The Police raided a press conference called by the Inter University Student Federation at the CSR in Maradana yesterday (23).

The press conference was called to mark the united opposition of political parties, trade unions, public organisations and social activists against the detention of the three student leaders, Wasantha Mudalige, Galwewa Siridhamma Thera and Hashan Jeevantha, using the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Continue reading ‘Police Storm Into Press Conference Held at CSR in Maradana to Protest Against Detention of Three IUSF Activists Stating they Want to Arrest Eranga Gunasekara the National Organiser of the Socialist Youth Union without possessing a Valid Arrest Warrant’ »

By Devaka Gunawardena

During periods of great upheaval, dividing lines between allies and enemies are redrawn. The reaction to the 9 July uprising in Sri Lanka is an example. The polarisation between progressive and reactionary forces has become clearer. But to develop its implications, it helps to insert it into the narrative of universal history, to identify its deeper potential. In this sense, the cunning of reason, to use Hegel’s famous phrase, continues. The spirit of the uprising lives.

What does this mean in practice? It helps to start by comparing with a well-established example. The Concert of Europe, created in 1815 in the aftermath of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Empire, represented perhaps the most famous modern attempt to try and corral forces of change within the boundaries of national territories. Chief among them were the Holy Alliance including Russia, Austria, and Prussia.

Although they could not ultimately contain the outburst of nationalisms leading, for example, to Italian unification, their efforts were felt in the immediate suppression of popular revolutions in 1848 that built on the legacy of the French Revolution. These rebellions aspired to greater democracy and failed. But they paved the way for the thinking and preparation that ultimately contributed to the rise of the working-class movement that would have a tremendous impact on Europe from the late 19th century onwards.

Continue reading ‘The 9 July Uprising may not have ended in the victory progressives anticipated. But efforts to draw out its lessons and to shift the battle onto a higher plane are not over’ »

We (The Economist) interviewed the president of Sri Lanka in Colombo on August 14th 2022. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

The Economist:

Thank you very much for taking the time to see us, Mr Wickremesinghe. The last time we were here was three weeks ago, when it was obvious that this was a country in crisis. We got in last night and the vibe has changed tremendously. It’s visible on the street, on the way in from the airport. What has happened since July 21st to have caused that change?

Ranil Wickremesinghe:

Firstly, I think people wanted law and order. A lot of people are losing out…employed people couldn’t go to work. They had complaints about the government, but when President Gotabaya [Rajapaksa, Mr Wickremesinghe’s predecessor] left, they were willing to give us another chance. The election of the president went constitutionally, parliament voted, and has taken on the existing cabinet so that we can call for an all-party government, with people from outside within the committee system. We will devise some new mechanisms for that. People know that we are going in for a tough time. And they want to get out of it as soon as possible. Even those that supported the aragalaya [the protest movement], from about the end of May, they were getting tired of [the chaos]. And they didn’t expect the violence that took place on the 9th and the 13th.

TE:

Concretely though, there’s obviously more fuel in the country, the qr code system seems to be a big success, the fuel queues have vanished. There are more cars and auto rickshaws on the street. What steps have been taken in the past three weeks to have changed the mood of the country?

RW:

Well, first, we had to tackle the fuel issue. Second was the fact that we were reaching out to everyone. Even peaceful protesters in the aragalaya were welcomed. We are willing to establish people’s assemblies to look at all the changes to be made. The new standing order for oversight committees makes room for four youth representatives. And they can ask questions, with the permission of the chairman. And while they can’t subscribe to the report, they can have their views recorded in it. And the parliament itself is grappling with ensuring that all the parties in the all-party administration can work together.

TE:

You’ve said it’s very important to you to form that kind of government. What’s so important about it? And what makes it problematic?

RW:

Well there’s a big crisis here. So how do we even get parties to work together? I’ve taken the lead in pushing the 22nd Amendment [to reduce the powers of the executive presidency], which is what they all wanted. So we will bring that in. And then you can set a new study for a new constitution, if they want. I brought that together with the select committee, the oversight committee system, plus a new National Council, modelled on something like the European Council. Also, we will try to get behind a common minimum programme so that the government knows that we have party support. Other issues can be discussed regularly, once a month. That’s to get the party leaders in. I said that I’m willing to have some of the chairmen of the oversight committees invited to cabinet as and when necessary.

TE:
What have been the obstacles in setting up this all-party government?

RW:

We’re only in discussions and every party is now in different groups. It’s not merely a question of parties, but groups and their point of view. The responsibility for the country coming out of the crisis lies with parliament. I refer even the IMF proposals to parliament. If anyone has better proposals, certainly we look at them. Otherwise we have to go ahead with what we have.

TE:

You’ve been very honest in recent weeks about how difficult it’s going to be, and what needs to happen to reduce the deficit and get back to a primary surplus, to reduce government debt. In terms of concrete steps, legislative priorities on economic policy, what are some of the things you need to tackle first?

RW:

We need a public-finance bill on the new taxes, then on state-owned enterprises [soes]. My idea is to do a deep cut and make a legislative framework for a highly competitive export-oriented economy, and then ensure the recovery takes off by 2024. It’s not worth dragging this out. Take a deep cut, but ensure that you can get recovery going so…………………….

Continue reading ‘“It’s not worth dragging this out.Take a deep cut, but ensure that you can get recovery going. So…when you make changes, make it deep, make all the changes you have to make and then allow it to come up…”- President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Interview with “The Economist”’ »

Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe met visiting International Monetary Fund team for a round of discussions as the country tries to strike a staff level agreement with a credible economic program to negotiate with creditors to re-structure their debt.

Senior Mission chief Peter Breuer, who is an expert in debt re-structuring, Sri Lanka mission chief Masahiro Nozaki, Resident Representative Tubagus Feridhanusetyawan met President Wickremesinghe, who is also Finance Minister on August 25.

The cabinet of ministers on Monday has approved a budgetary framework which where 9.9 percent of Gross Domestic Product budget deficit in 2022 will be brought down to 6.9 percent by 2023.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe has discussions with visiting International Monetary Fund team to reach a staff level agreement with a credible economic program to negotiate with creditors to re-structure their debt.’ »

Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs, and Constitutional Reforms, Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said the President had granted his consent to a 90-day Detention Order (DO) for interrogation as per the PTA, against IUSF Convener Wasantha Mudalige, based on submissions made to him by the Security Forces. He said according to the Police, there has been a possible attempt to overthrow the Government, while impeding national security on the part of the IUSF Convener.

He said it was highly unjust to claim the country’s security apparatus was using the PTA to unnecessarily hound anti-Government elements and blatantly crush such sentiments.

The Minister emphasised the PTA could be utilised to protect the State if there are genuine or tangible threats to its existence and the maintenance of national security.

Continue reading ‘President Wickremesinghe granted his consent to a 90-day Detention Order (DO) for interrogation under the PTA, against IUSF Convener Wasantha Mudalige, based on submissions made to him by the Security Forces Reveals Justice Minister Dr.Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’ »

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The Government has slapped a temporary ban on the import of products from over 360 categories in a bid to save foreign exchange and support local manufacturers.

The move was announced via special regulations yesterday under the Imports and Exports Control Act by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies.

As per these regulations (“Imports and Exports (Control) Regulations No. 13 of 2022”) importation of specified goods will be temporarily suspended effective from 23 August until further notice. However, the goods specified which have been shipped on board with the date of Bill of Lading/Airway Bill on or before 23 August and arrived at any seaports or airports in Sri Lanka on or before 14 September, will be allowed for Customs clearance.

Continue reading ‘Government Brings temporary ban with effect from Aug 23 on the import of products from over 360 categories in a bid to save foreign exchange and support local manufacturers.’ »

by Jehan Perera

Early this year the government under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa amended the Prevention of Terrorism law. It accepted the position that the law was in violation of international standards and wanted to show it was committed to improving its human rights record. The ground was set to mitigate the pressures from the UN Human Rights Council and other international bodies.

However, the government’s plans now appear to be veering of course. This is reflected in the appeal of UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders to President Ranil Wickremesinghe not to sign the detention orders of Inter-University Students Federation convenor Wasantha Mudilage and two others. She said “I call on President Ranil not to sign their detention order, doing so would be a dark day for Sri Lanka.” The significance of the detention orders is that they were issued under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Former foreign minister Prof G. L. Peiris who is no longer a member of the government has expressed his concern about this misuse of the PTA, which as the name suggests is for dealing with terrorists. He pointed out that If legitimate democratic activity is suppressed under the guise of terrorism, the consequences would be incalculable. “When I presented urgent amendments to the PTA and had them enacted by Parliament, the clear understanding was that the PTA would not be used pending a comprehensive review and introduction of fresh legislation.” He also warned that it was contradictory and cynical to allow the state of emergency to lapse and to use the provisions of the PTA instead. The use of the PTA after the government committed itself to discontinuing its use is a betrayal of trust that will not gain it the trust of the people but their antipathy.

Continue reading ‘The use of the PTA after the government committed itself to discontinuing its use is a betrayal of trust that will not gain it the trust of the people but their antipathy.’ »

(Text of statement issued by the People’s Alliance on Right to Land (PARL) on 24th August, 2022)

Chinthaka Rajapakse, a convenor of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Rights and Reform (MONLAR), was arrested on the 18th of August 2022 for participating in a peaceful protest organized by the Inter University Students Federation. He was arrested with 19 others. Three of these protesters have since been subjected to 90-day Detention Orders under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which itself is a gross misuse of repressive legislation against protestors.

Chinthaka and the others were produced at Colombo Magistrate Court on 19th August, where the others were granted bail, and the police requested that Chinthaka be further remanded and the Magistrate ordered that he remain in custody until the 26th of August 2022. We strongly believe that the request to prolong his custody in remand by the police was motivated as a means of punishment for Chinthaka’s long standing activism and effective mobilization of citizens to protest injustice.

Continue reading ‘People’s Alliance on Right to Land (PARL) demands the immediate and unconditional release of Activist Chinthaka Rajapakse and all others arrested with him at the peaceful protests on 18th August.’ »

By Shamindra Ferdinando

General Secretary of the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Sagara Kariyawasam, MP, yesterday (23) said that there should be no holds barred investigation into violence in the run-up to the May 09 incidents, at Galle Face, and outside Temple Trees, and after the resignation of the then Premier Mahinda Rajapaksa.

SLPP National List MP and Attorney-at-Law Kariyawasam strongly defended the utilization of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to deal with some of those who had been arrested, in connection with incidents, related to the so-called public protest movement.
Kariyawasam said so in response to Opposition political parties, a section of the diplomatic community, as well as some local and foreign NGOs, condemning the issuance of detention orders in terms of the PTA.

Referring to detention orders issued in respect of three persons, including Wasantha Mudalige, convenor, Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF), affiliated to the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), lawmaker Kariyasawam said that interested parties had quite conveniently forgotten the destruction of houses, and other properties, belonging to one-third of lawmakers, killing of Polonnaruwa district SLPP MP Amarakeerthi Atukorale, and causing grievous injuries to Kalutara District MP Kumara Welgama.

Continue reading ‘“How could a public protest campaign, dubbed as peaceful, destroy 70 houses and 600 other properties belonging to as many as 72 MPs, within a matter of 24 hours? Asks SLPP Gen Secy Sagara Kariyawasam’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

The Sri Lankan police on Monday confirmed the detention of three student activists under a dreaded anti-terrorism law, four days after arresting them at a protest held in capital Colombo.

Local and international rights advocates have slammed the move, accusing the government of construing dissent as terrorism, even as Sri Lanka’s controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act comes under sharp focus yet again.

Sri Lankan civic activists concerned over ‘witch-hunt’ by state

On August 18, the police arrested nearly 20 protesters at a march held in Colombo, organised by the Inter University Students’ Federation, where participants highlighted many issues, including “state repression” and the spiralling cost of living.

While a majority of those arrested were soon granted bail, Federation convener Wasantha Mudalige, student activists Hashan Jeewantha and Galwewa Siridhamma — who leads the universities’ monk federation — were in police custody for over 72 hours, amid reports of their detention under the PTA. As lawyers struggled to obtain information on the students’ whereabouts, rights activists, members of the political opposition, and international human rights watchdogs were quick to condemn the move.

Continue reading ‘Arrest and Detention of Three University Student Union Activists under the Draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act(PTA) Results in Widespread Critism of Wickremesinghe Govt’ »

By Tisaranee Gunasekara

“What are we supposed to do when the system consistently yields terrible candidates?” Nanjala Nyabola (The Kenyan Kakistocracy, The Nation, 12.8.2022)

Most politicians have a questionable relationship with reality. The Rajapaksas operate in a reality that is all their own. Asked why brother Gotabaya fled the country, Mahinda Rajapaksa replied, “Who accuses him of fleeing? He went for a medical check-up.”

So the SLPP, that quintessential Rajapaksa party, acts as if the recent popular uprising happened in a parallel universe. As poverty engulfs new swathes of population and malnutrition ravages the young, the SLPP is planning to present a cabinet paper authorising the payment of Rs. 117 million to favoured ex-officials (civilian and military) on the spurious grounds of political victimisation. This in a land where the main children’s hospital is making urgent appeals for orthopaedic surgical supplies.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa might be fleeing from country to country; his family has learnt nothing from his fate. Sons and nephews remain as clueless as fathers and uncles. Namal Rajapaksa sent a letter to the Minister of Environment recommending two names as CEO of a subsidiary of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau, one a Pradesheeya Sabha member and former secretary to acolyte politician D.V. Chanaka. (Ranil Wickremesinghe set up a committee to review and approve appointments and transfers in the upper bureaucracy probably in response.) When outrage ensued, the Rajapaksa scion clarified matters by explaining he gives such letters of recommendation frequently!

The SLPP has submitted a should be ministers list to the president. This roll call of favourites sounds (in most part) like the broader populace’s index of undesirables. Whether President Wickremesinghe accedes to that request will say much about his ability to chart a path that bypasses some of the worst Rajapaksa excesses. Unfortunately, if an election is held today, SLPP faithful will ensure that many on that list are back in parliament.

Continue reading ‘The SLPP will not gain a majority in the next election. But it won’t be wiped out either. The Rajapaksa family party is likely to command a significant minority with around 20% of the vote, especially if Mahinda Rajapaksa leads the campaign.’ »

By

Gamini Weerakoon

(The writer is a former editor of The Sunday Island, The Island, and consultant editor of the Sunday Leader)

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken on the role of an alchemist of sorts.

Ancient alchemists attempted to transform various metals called, base metals, as lead and copper by subjecting them to various treatment as melting to produce pure gold, which was the most sought after metals in those times, as it is today. They failed in their attempts which were said to be impossible to achieve on scientific principles.

A different kind of alchemist also attempted to produce an elixir that could make humans immortal or produce a panacea — sure cure — for all diseases. These attempts have so far not been successful although the attempts still continue, viz, ‘Vadakaha Sudiya’ and ‘Covid Paniya’ which we Lankans are familiar with.

Wickremesinghe’s chosen specialty appears to be Political Alchemy: Mixing up ‘base politicians’ together with other ingredients to produce pure gold recognised worldwide in the 21st Century — the All American Mighty Dollar which could save Sri Lanka from the financial and political crisis it is sinking in.

The Wickremesinghe strategy appears to be centered on the APG (All-Party Government) under his presidency. The opposition parties, the SJB of Premadasa, the TNA of the North and East, and allied parties of the JVP have declined invitations to join the APG under Wickremesinghe, and he is left with those of the Rajapaksa government left destitute after Mahinda Rajapaksa and his ministers resigned and Gotabaya Rajapaksa took off to foreign climes with almost the whole country at his heels.

Continue reading ‘Wickremesinghe does not seem to have learnt a lesson from a basic mental aberration that the UNP suffers from: Crushing legitimate dissent by force using UNP thugs or security services has been one of the main reasons for the nemesis of the party,’ »

In a letter to Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Dullas Alahpperuma says the Government is treating him and the Parliamentarians who supported him at the Presidential election in Parliament in a hostile manner.

Alahapperuma noted in his letter that the Government has ensured it does not re-appoint MPs who supported him at the recent election to positions in Parliamentary committees. He expressed his disgust and protest in this regard.

According to him, when appointing members for committees in Parliament after the commencement of a new Parliamentary term, many who worked unconditionally to expose the fraudulent and illegal activities of the Government have been politically victimised.

Continue reading ‘SLPP Dissident MP Alahapperuma writes to Prime Minister Gunewardena Complaing of Discrimatory Treatment being meted out against MPs who supported him at the July 20 Presidential Election.’ »

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna says it has requested President Ranil Wickremesinghe to facilitate the safe return of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa back to Sri Lanka.

The SLPP said the request was made during a meeting between representatives of the SLPP and the President held on Thursday at the Presidential Secretariat.

According to the SLPP, the party’s national organiser former Minister Basil Rajapaksa had assured the President of their fullest support in his endeavours to ensure the recovery of Sri Lanka’s economy. In a release, the SLPP said Rajapaksa had stressed to the President that this was the party’s main request.

Continue reading ‘SLPP Delegation led by National Organizer Basil Rajapaksa Meets President Wickremesinghe and Requests him to Facilitate Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s safe Return to Sri Lanka :assures party’s fullest support to Ranil’s endeavours to ensure the recovery of Sri Lanka’s economy.’ »

On august 15th Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka’s president, travelled to the Katunayake air base near Colombo, the capital, to take delivery of a Dornier 228 maritime surveillance aircraft, a gift from India. The very next day, Yuan Wang 5, a Chinese surveillance ship, docked in the port of Hambantota, in the south, despite objections from India and America. Meanwhile, pns Taimur, a Chinese-built Pakistani frigate, called at the port of Colombo on August 12th.

For Sri Lanka, it has been a tricky few days. Responding to allegations in the Indian press, its navy denied that it was conducting “war games” with the Pakistani boat. But the Chinese ship captured the imaginations of both Sri Lankans and Indians. Originally due to dock on August 11th, its arrival was “deferred” at the request of Sri Lanka under pressure from India, which fears the vessel can track its missile launches.

All of which would be delicate enough under normal circumstances. But Sri Lanka, which defaulted on its debt in May, is dependent on the goodwill of its creditors and its neighbours. China alone accounts for 10% of the country’s $32bn in foreign borrowing, and is usually reluctant to offer write-downs.

Continue reading ‘“The arrival of a Chinese ship in Sri Lanka raises hackles in India; flip-flopping by Sri Lanka over Yuan Wang 5 irritates both China and India. ‘- The Economist’ »

By

Jamila Husain

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled the country last month amidst public protests calling for his resignation, is awaiting to obtain a US Green Card to return back to the United States and settle there with his wife and son, the Daily Mirror learns.

Highly placed sources said that Rajapaksa’s lawyers in the United States had already begun the procedure last month for his application to obtain the Green Card as he was eligible to apply due to his wife Ioma Rajapaksa being a US citizen.

The procedure will also now involve his lawyers in Colombo submitting the additional documents here in order to go ahead with the procedure.

Continue reading ‘Gotabaya Rajapaksa Likely to Return to Sri Lanka on Aug 25th From Thailand; will be Provided House and Security by State as a former President is entitled to; wants to go back to California after obtaining US Green Card’ »

By Shuvaloy Majumda and Vijay Sappani

Sri Lanka is in deep turmoil; understanding this crisis is crucial for Canada’s wider interests in the Indo-Pacific.

Prior to the upheaval, Sri Lanka had a thriving economy, among the best human development index scores in South Asia, and wide-ranging trade and preferential market agreements throughout the region and world. With access to global markets, many sectors — notably tea, agriculture, apparel, manufacturing, shipping, and tourism — had expanded. Its economy was strong, growing, and supporting development and prosperity for all.

But these brighter days gave way to troubling warning signs. Sri Lankan politicians were warned as early as 2015 about the risks of an evolving economic crisis.

Continue reading ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka and countering China go hand in hand.And as home to the largest Sri Lankan diaspora in the world, Canada also carries a moral responsibility for Sri Lanka’s well-being.’ »

By Shuvaloy Majumdar and Vijay Sappani

Sri Lanka is in deep turmoil; understanding this crisis is crucial for Canada’s wider interests in the Indo-Pacific.

Prior to the upheaval, Sri Lanka had a thriving economy, among the best human development index scores in South Asia, and wide-ranging trade and preferential market agreements throughout the region and world. With access to global markets, many sechttps://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/wp-admin/post.php?post=79034&action=edit#edit_timestamptors — notably tea, agriculture, apparel, manufacturing, shipping, and tourism — had expanded. Its economy was strong, growing, and supporting development and prosperity for all.

But these brighter days gave way to troubling warning signs. Sri Lankan politicians were warned as early as 2015 about the risks of an evolving economic crisis.

Continue reading ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka and countering China go hand in hand.And as home to the largest Sri Lankan diaspora in the world, Canada also carries a moral responsibility for Sri Lanka’s well-being.’ »

Sri Lanka Police fired tear gas and water cannon on a small protest yesterday to break up the first demonstration since the crisis-hit island nation lifted a state of emergency.

This year, an unprecedented economic collapse has often sparked massive anti-Government rallies after months of hardship caused by shortages of essential goods, rolling blackouts and spiralling inflation. The Government has curbed dissent by imposing a State of Emergency giving security forces sweeping detention powers, but the ordinance lapsed overnight. Several hundred students attempted to march to the city centre in Colombo for a rally outside the railway station before they were blocked and dispersed by officers armed with batons and riot shields.

A Police official told AFP that Wasantha Mudalige, leader of the Inter-University Student Federation, was among six people in custody. He further stated that they used minimum force and only arrested those who attacked officers or damaged state property.

Continue reading ‘Police use Tear Gas and Water Cannon to Disperse Protest Demonstration Organized by the Inter-University Student Federation;Six persons including Wasantha Mudalige taken into custody’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

The story so far-

On August 13, Sri Lanka approved the arrival of a Chinese satellite-tracking vessel to its southern Chinese-funded Hambantota port. It was the second approval from the island nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after it first cleared the visit on July 12. In the weeks in between, India raised concerns over the ship’s visit with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and officially commented on it, while Indian media splashed headlines of a “Chinese spy ship” hovering in the Indian Ocean. Caught in a delicate diplomatic and geopolitical spot, Colombo gave its nod after “extensive consultations” with “all parties”.

What is the vessel?

Yuan Wang 5 was described by the Sri Lankan government as a “scientific research ship”. The BRISL (Belt & Road Initiative Sri Lanka), a Colombo-based organisation studying China’s ambitious connectivity project, was the first to draw attention to the visit in a Twitter post late July.

It said that the Yuan Wang 5 will conduct “satellite control and research tracking in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean Region” through August and September. Vessels of the Yuan Wang class are said to be used for tracking and supporting satellite as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles by the People’s Liberation Army Strategic Support Force.

Continue reading ‘What kind of ship is the Yuan Wang 5? Why is its presence in the Indian Ocean a cause of concern for India? Explained Through Questions and Answers’ »

BY P. Waravita

The Chinese Yuan Wang 5 vessel, whose arrival was mired in a geopolitical tussle, docked at the Hambantota Port yesterday (16), with a welcome ceremony attended by prominent MPs, where the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong stated that the docking of the vessel is a “normal exchange” between China and Sri Lanka.

The scientific research vessel from China attracted controversy earlier this month, as neighbouring India raised several concerns ovet the purpose of its visit. The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) even rescinded its initial approval to the vessel to dock at Hambantota, and asked China to defer its visit. Permission was again granted for the vessel to dock yesterday (16).

Responding to media questions at the event held yesterday, Zhenhong said that the “scientific research vessel docked successfully and smoothly” at the Hambantota Port, and that this is “a normal exchange between our two countries because Sri Lanka and China enjoy a longstanding friendship”.

Continue reading ‘Chinese Yuan Wang 5 vessel mired in a geopolitical tussle docks at the Hambantota Port;welcome ceremony attended by MPs Weerawansa, Nanayakkara and Weerasekera; “On behalf of the President, I came here today to welcome the ship and wish them,” says Sarath Weerasekera.’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan and Ananth Krishnan

China’s satellite tracking vessel Yuan Wang 5 on August 16 arrived at Sri Lanka’s southern Hambantota Port, despite India and the U.S. voicing concern with Colombo over the military ship’s visit. Hours after the vessel reached the Sri Lankan port, China said the “marine scientific research” activities of the vessel were “consistent with international law” and did not impact “any other country’s security interests”.

According to Colombo-based official sources, both India and the U.S. had conveyed their apprehensions to the Sri Lankan Government at the highest level, citing the vessel’s “military capabilities” while in the Indian Ocean Region. Apparently addressing the concerns, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on August 16 said, “I want to stress again that the marine scientific research activities of the Yuan Wang 5 ship are consistent with international law and international common practice. They do not affect the security and the economic interests of any country and should not be obstructed by any third party.”

China earlier slammed New Delhi’s apprehensions as “unjustified” and “morally irresponsible”, and “urged” New Delhi to “not disturb normal exchanges” between the two countries. New Delhi “rejected insinuations” that Sri Lanka was pressured.

Continue reading ‘China’s satellite tracking vessel Yuan Wang 5 arrives at Sri Lanka’s southern Hambantota Port on August 16 despite India and the U.S. voicing concern with Colombo over the military ship’s visit.’ »

BY Buddhika Samaraweera

The Government has decided not to go ahead with the recommendations mentioned in the final report of the ‘One Country, One Law” Presidential Task Force (PTF) headed by Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera, as many important issues that need to be addressed urgently have arisen in the current situation, and taking into account the objections of several parties, The Morning learnt.

Speaking to The Morning, well-placed sources stated that in the current situation, a number of other important issues have arisen that require more attention than the concept of “One Country, One Law”, adding that the recommendations mentioned in the final report of the PTF would therefore not be implemented.

“In view of the crisis that has arisen in the country, the formation of an all-party Government is extremely important in obtaining the support of international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Against this backdrop, many parties that the Government and President Ranil Wickremesinghe expect to join the all-party Government have expressed their displeasure with the committees appointed by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, including the PTF in question,” the sources added.

Continue reading ‘Govt decides not to implement recommendations in in the final report of the ‘One Country, One Law” Presidential Task Force (PTF) headed by Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera.’ »

BY Buwanajee Coralage

Scottish national Kayleigh Fraser, who participated in the “aragalaya” (struggle) in Sri Lanka, will be given time to leave the country, said the Department of Immigration and Emigration, following yesterday’s (16) dismissal by the Court of Appeal of her writ petition filed challenging her deportation by the Department over alleged visa violations.

The Media Spokesperson of the Department, speaking to The Morning yesterday, noted that the court had dismissed the petition on the grounds that the individual lacked the authority to file such action against the decision taken by the Department, in which she had named the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration as a respondent to the petition.

Continue reading ‘Immigration Dept Grants Scottish National Kayleigh Fraser a Grace Period to Leave Sri Lanka Following the Dismissal of het Writ Application Against her Deportation Order by the Court of Appeal’ »

By Dinitha Rathnayake

Hundreds of Tamil mothers engaged in a rally last Friday (12) in Kilinochchi District to mark 2,000 days of protests and activism to seek justice for their sons who they claim were forcibly disappeared during and after the civil war.

The protests commenced in February 2017 during the Yahapalana Government, which promised justice to the families of the disappeared, to demand answers about the fate of their loved ones.

Continue reading ‘Hundreds of Tamil mothers Conduct rally in Kilinochchi to mark 2,000 days of protests to seek justice for their sons who they claim were forcibly disappeared during and after the civil war.’ »

By

Kishali Pinto – Jayawardene

The winding down of the iconic ‘aragalaya’ (struggle) site at the Galle Face Green this Friday as the police hauled away the last remaining tents, was met by its onetime occupants, not with sadness or resignation but, interestingly enough, a calm jubilation.

State aggression met by counter-aggression

‘This Government has shown that it has not understood the nature of this struggle,’ one young woman said, ‘we did not do this for months, forgetting our families, braving the risks, standing up against the State, for fun, our anger was against Sri Lanka’s corrupt political culture, that anger has not changed, it is still alive, we will learn from our mistakes and rise again.’

Elsewhere, the emerging narrative, pushed by eager purveyors of the country’s military State, the Deep State, as it were, is that the protest movement does not have a right to call itself ‘peaceful.’ How can crowds that forcibly entered the Presidential Secretariat, the official residence of the President and Temple Trees be called, ‘peaceful,’ they ask?

Yet there is a grim paradox in that question. The protests at Galle Face Green were indeed peaceful until they were brutally attacked by goons of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Ministers, on May 9th 2022.

This brutality was met by counter-brutality, in attacks on attackers by the public at large of which the protestors were the most visible part, the targeting of parliamentarians and (some would argue, the instigated) burning of their houses. That surge of counter-brutality must be categorically rejected.

However, it must never be forgotten that the initial aggravation came from the Sri Lankan State, reverting to its historically tried and tested methods of repressing dissent, through thuggery and racist rhetoric (ie; labelling protestors as Muslim, the State’s ‘new’ enemy’).

Continue reading ‘When has action been taken against the outrageous behaviour manifested by parliamentarians on the floor of the House at any time? What equitable purpose does the current Parliamentary assembly serve to protect the interests of the people?’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

Sri Lanka on Saturday cleared the arrival of Chinese space and satellite tracking vessel Yuan Wang 5 on August 16 at the southern Hambantota port, a day after New Delhi reiterated its security concerns over the vessel’s visit earlier scheduled on August 11.

Even as Colombo was put on a delicate diplomatic spot, dealing with two of its close partners with competing geostrategic interests in the island, Sri Lanka’s fresh approval, announced by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement, effectively points to a five-day postponement of the arrival of the Chinese ship, and a week’s stop as was earlier planned.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka Grants Permission for Chinese space and satellite tracking vessel “Yuan Wang 5” to dock on August 16 at Hambantota port subject to conditions that the visiting Chinese vessel’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) must be kept switched on within the EEZ of Sri Lanka and that no scientific research be conducted in Sri Lankan waters.’ »

By Sam Cabral
BBC News, Washington

Author Salman Rushdie, who suffered years of Islamist death threats after writing The Satanic Verses, has been stabbed on stage in New York state.

The Booker Prize winner, 75, was speaking at an event at the Chautauqua Institution at the time.

New York State Police said a man ran up onto the stage and attacked Mr Rushdie, who is now undergoing surgery at a local trauma centre.
Police detained a suspect named as Hadi Matar, 24, from Fairview, New Jersey.

No motive or charges have yet been confirmed by police.

Mr Rushdie was stabbed at least once in the neck, and at least once in the abdomen. He was taken to a hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania, by helicopter.

The interviewer who was also on stage, Henry Reese, suffered a minor head injury and was taken to a local hospital. Mr Reese is the co-founder of a non-profit that provides sanctuary to writers exiled under threat of persecution.

Police told a press conference that staff and audience members had rushed the attacker and took him to the ground, and he was then arrested.

Continue reading ‘Well-known author Salman Rushdie Stabbed Multiple times by Lone Assailant while speaking at an event at the Chautauqua Institution in New York Omdergoes Surgery; Police arrest suspect named as Hadi Matar(24) from Fairview, New Jersey.’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

Hundreds of Tamil mothers on August 12 took out a rally in Sri Lanka’s northern Kilinochchi district to mark 2,000 days of their relentless struggle, seeking truth and justice for their loved ones forcibly disappeared during and after the civil war.

Women wearing black sarees and headbands marched in Kilinochchi carrying photographs of their missing relatives. “Where are children who surrendered to the army?”, “Arrest Gotabaya who was involved in a genocide”, “We want justice”, they chanted.

“We’ve been agitating for 2,000 days now, but justice has not been served. We want to draw attention to our struggle and highlight this long-pending issue before the Human Rights Council session meets in Geneva next month,” Kadirgamanathan Kohilavani, leader of a Kilinochchi-based group of families of disappeared told The Hindu. “We really hope they [Council] will do something to ensure justice for us,” she said.

Continue reading ‘Relentless Struggle by Tamil Mothers of “Disappeared” Reaches 2000 Day Landmark;Hundreds of Women Stage Rally in northern Kilinochchi district seeking truth and justice for their loved ones forcibly disappeared during and after the civil war’ »

The Sri Lanka Government today (August 12) granted permission for the Chinese tracking vessel Yuang Wang 5 to dock at the Hambantota Port after the Indian and US Governments failed to give “concrete reasons” for why they opposed its arrival.

Yuang Wang 5 will now berth at the Hambantota International Port on August 16, five days later than scheduled. It was originally due to arrive on August 11. This was delayed after India raised strong concerns citing national security.

Sri Lanka requested China to defer the visit until “further consultations” were held on the matter. The vessel abruptly changed track earlier this week. However, it is now heading towards Hambantota again.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan Govt Permits Chinese tracking ship ” Yuang Wang 5″ to dock at Hambantota Port on August 16 following the failure of the Indian and US Governments to provide “concrete reasons” for their opposition to the Vessel arriving in H’tota’ »

by Sharmini Serasinghe

For the first time in the history of Sri Lanka, the nation experimented with a ‘Peaceful Protest’ to oust a leader they came to hate. And they succeeded! Sri Lankans across the nation, crossing boundaries of ethnicity, religion and social class came together in what came to be known as the ‘Aragalaya’ (Sinhala term for a protest), with one aim in mind — to rid the country of the once hero-worshipped Rajapaksa regime.

En masse, they literally chased away the Prime Minster, Mahinda Rajapaksa from Office followed by his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The latter was forced to flee the country. It all began in early March, 2022 with small candlelight vigils against long-drawn-out power blackouts. The protesters who gathered in the evenings after working hours were mainly peaceful. But the protests rapidly spread throughout the country.

From power blackouts, they then went on to also agitate against Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis since independence. Survival for the average citizen had become difficult with the breakout of the Covid-19 pandemic but the hardships reached the next level with the Rajapaksa regime’s mismanagement of the country’s economy and blatant corruption.

A severe shortage of basic essentials – food, fuel, medicine and cooking gas – was the last straw for the suffering average citizen. Their fury was further fueled by the blatant extravagances of politicians and their families and an over confident government with a two-thirds majority in parliament, turning a blind eye to the suffering of the masses. The cries of the vox populi fell on deaf ears.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka’s radical Leftist political parties,JVP and its breakaway faction, FSP galvanised the “Aragalaya “(struggle)into an aggressive movement that eventually ousted the two Rajapaksa brothers from power’ »

By

Victor Ivan

The article I wrote titled “Ranil’s Destiny” and published in the Daily FT last week, had received the attention of a large number of readers; also there were several criticisms published against it. Many people in Sri Lanka seem to have lost the ability to think logically not only on the issue of the appointment of Ranil Wickremesinghe to the presidency but also on the issue of the crisis facing the country.

I was surprised to watch a video where a leader of a leftist party was asking the expatriate Sri Lankans to refrain from remitting foreign currency to the country until the present rulers of Sri Lanka are changed. I understood this request to imply that it does not matter for them even if the country is destroyed until they come to power. The person who made this request belongs to a political party that appears to be gaining significant public recognition at the moment. How possible that a destructive approach like that could contribute to the benefit of that party and the nation?

Regrettably the struggle for securing the political power of the country is also being carried out in an atmosphere where the unique nature of the crisis facing the country has been completely ignored. When a house catches fire, the instant action taken should be to put out the fire immediately and not to look for those responsible for it. But what happened in Sri Lanka was to allow the fire to spread and to search for those responsible for it.

The way some people think of Ranil is also confusing. I am not a political follower of Ranil. There were times I have criticised him strongly; and also times I have praised him lavishly. Notwithstanding his limitations, he is the most colourful leader left of the old generation of politicians in our country. It is important that I should explain the ideological connection I have with him now. This connection has developed consequent to a consensus we have reached in regard to a structural reform program to be launched to bring about a profound change in the system. Late Mangala Samaraweera also took part in the initial discussions held in this connection; had he been alive today, he would certainly have been a strong supporter, a champion of the proposed reform program.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka has become a country devoid of mature political leaders. We have only Ranil Wickremesinghe left among the leaders who can be considered an advanced political leader. In the absence of mature leaders, it should be the country’s responsibility to make proper use of him at this critical juncture.’ »

BY Dinitha Rathnayake

Protestors of the “aragalaya” (struggle) attached to the “RanilGoGama”, formerly “GotaGoGama”, at the Galle Face – whose protest site at the Galle Face Green was vandalised on multiple occasions, and whose activism led to the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa – have vacated the site which was in operation since early April.

Speaking at a recent press conference, a key and active member of the “aragayala”, Ven. Koswatte Mahanama Thera, said that even though the Occupy Galle Face movement came to an end yesterday (10), the “aragalaya” would however continue in different forms.

“During these four months of the ‘aragalaya’ against the State leadership and politics in the country, we brought every ethnicity together, and had a lot of victories. I think that it’s a considerable achievement. The ‘aragalaya’ that started on 9 April has made many achievements, but now we have to fight against President Ranil Wickremesinghe, his Emergency Law, and the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act as amended (PTA), which have to be taken away, and also fight towards abolishing the Executive Presidency, which is of the utmost need at the moment in order for democracy to prevail in Sri Lanka. The political unrest and economic crisis will worsen in this undemocratic system of Wickremesinghe and therefore, we will continue our fight against it “
Further, speaking to The Morning, activist Lahiru Fernando said that more than 43 tents were established at the site, and charged, however, that the majority of the tents had since been stolen by third parties.

Continue reading ‘“Gota Go Home” Protest That Began at Galle Face on April 9 Ends After 4 Months on Augut 9 but “Aragalaya”(struggle) will Continue in Different Forms;Protesters Withdrwa 4 Writs Filed in Appeal Court against Removal of Site;Organizers Allege bulk of 43 Tents have been stolen by third parties’ »

On Tuesday August 9, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe paid his first official visit to the Army HQ in the outskirts of Colombo and addressed the troops even as protesters were planning to renew the agitation to oust him from the Presidency.
As it turned out, the function at the Army HQ went off without a hitch and calm prevailed in the island with no sign of the planned stir.

But it did appear as if Wickremesinghe had deliberately chosen August 9 to make a ceremonial first visit to the Army HQ. It symbolically challenged the protestors’ bid to launch another wave of their agitation to bring down his government and force fresh elections.

In his address at the Army HQ, the President praised the troops for the sagacious way in which they protected parliament from a group determined to storm and seize it. By preventing the seizure, the troops had saved the constitution of Sri Lanka, he said. If the violent crowd had barged into parliament, government would have fallen and the course of Sri Lanka’s history would have been different, he noted. But the troops on duty managed to prevent the catastrophe, and he was grateful to them for that.

Continue reading ‘Ranil Wickremesinghe Makes First Official Visit as Elected President to Army Headquarters and thanks Military for Protecting Parliament and Preventing its seizure by a group without Opening Fire on People’ »

Former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has requested entry into Thailand for a temporary stay in a second Southeast Asian country after fleeing his island nation last month amid mass protests, the Thai foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Rajapaksa fled to Singapore on July 14 following unprecedented unrest caused by Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis in seven decades, and days after thousands of protesters stormed the president’s official residence and office.

The retired military officer then resigned from the presidency, becoming the first Sri Lankan head of state to quit mid-term.
Rajapaksa is expected to leave Singapore and head to Thailand’s capital Bangkok on Thursday, two sources said, asking not to be named. Sri Lanka’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Continue reading ‘Ex- Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Likely to move from Singapore to Thailand for Temporary Stay; “The Sri Lankan side informs us that the former president has no intention for political asylum in Thailand and will travel to another country afterwards.” Says Thai Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tanee Sangrat’ »

By

Anushka Wijesinha

(Anushka Wijesinha is a Colombo-based economist and co-founder of the public policy think tank, Centre for a Smart Future)

Sri Lanka’s economic crisis has been brewing for a while. Years of policy missteps and a problematic growth model came to a head at the start of 2022, with a debilitating foreign reserves crisis.

Shortages of essentials hurt families and firms. A precarious balance of payments position left little buffers to face the shocks emanating from global markets. All this culminated in the people’s rejection of the regime that oversaw the economic collapse, an uprising that lasted many months, and the installation of President Ranil Wickremasinghe under extraordinary circumstances, in July.

Since the government’s announcement in April of a suspension of foreign debt payments, discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a bailout — an Extended Fund Facility programme — have progressed, and a staff-level agreement (SLA) is being finalised.

In recent weeks, there has been a tendency by those in power to blame the people’s protest, terming it as “anarchy” and “unrest”, for the delay in firming up an IMF deal. This is not only disingenuous but unhelpful in understanding the rocky road ahead.

Continue reading ‘Any attempts to push through an IMF reform programme without clear articulation of its rationale, expected outcomes, and measures to protect the vulnerable will be met with resistance by politicians and the public.’ »

By Dr Ranga Kalansooriya

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year, Ranil Wickremesinghe’s views on the resultant crisis differed somewhat from other MPs. Holding the one and only seat allocated to his party in Parliament, Wickremesinghe argued that Ukraine had antagonized Russia without seeking a peaceful diplomatic solution, and that the West played a game in creating the crisis.

By all accounts, his opinion was biased towards Asia. Ranil in his local interviews urged Indonesia, as ASEAN leader and the current Chair of the G20, to play a cardinal role in mitigating the adverse effects of the War.

These comments compelled coverage and commentary from major media houses in Jakarta in early March and Ranil was extensively featured in interviews with Indonesian media, where he came out more strongly in his opinion about the role of the country in the unfolding War.

“With your historical background on international coalition building through the Bandung Asia-Africa Summit I suggest Indonesia, together with China, India and the United Arab Emirates to hold a conference of all Asian countries.” (Interview with Tempo.com, March 7, 2020)

Indonesia had no intention of getting involved in such a diplomatic endeavor, at least then.

In his engagements with Indonesian media Wickremesinghe was critical of the West, predicting Asia’s rise as a world power in the next decade. As far as he was concerned, Asia should be able to stand on her own and make its voice heard aloud, ensuring a similar response to the West from Africa.

Continue reading ‘China ,India and the Ranil Wickremesinghe Foreign Policy Perspective’ »

By

Victor Ivan

Things in the country are happening in a ludicrous manner. Regardless of the likes or dislikes of the people engaged in the Aragalaya (youth struggle) there is one important outcome that the Aragalaya has produced in the political sense: It has been able to oust Gotabaya Rajapaksa from his office who lacked adequate knowledge for statecraft, but was able to be elected as the Head of State by a massive popular mandate when he had completed only half of the official term, and pave the way for Ranil Wickremesinghe who could be reckoned to be a mature Politician possessing a keen knowledge of the art of conducting State affairs despite he had only one seat in the present Parliament, to be elected as the President with the consent of the majority of the Parliament.

The weak management style of Gotabaya also led to this situation. It is interesting to note that Ranil Wickremesinghe, within the first 48 hours of assuming the office of Presidency, mobilised the security forces and restored the Government control of some sections of the State the Aragalaya people had temporarily snatched away and was able to vitiate the anarchic atmosphere that prevailed in some areas of State administration, to a considerable extent. Although the policy of the new President has led to enhance and intensify the anger of the activists of the Aragalaya, as if by an irony of fate, Wickremesinghe is now destined to be the person chosen by the history, not by the public, to play the role of opening the doors of the state for a program of structural reforms for a ‘profound change in the system’ that can be considered as the main aspiration of the latter.

Continue reading ‘Ranil Wickremesinghe can be ranked as a person endowed with intellectual elegance and excellence in statesmanship. Ranil is one whose character has been deliberately destroyed by the media. However, If he is capable of redeeming and reforming Sri Lanka his name will go down in history as the hero who saved Sri Lanka’ »

BY Buddhika Samaraweera

Colombo Chief Magistrate Nandana Amarasinghe yesterday (8) rejected a request made by the Police to issue a restraining order against a protest planned to be held today (9), organised by several political parties and civil organisations, against President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the current Government.

While informing the court that several political parties and civil organisations have planned to hold a protest at the Viharamahadevi (Victoria) Park in Colombo today, the Cinnamon Gardens Police had requested the Colombo Magistrate’s Court to issue an order preventing the said protest from being held.

Continue reading ‘Colombo Chief Magistrate Nandana Amarasinghe rejects Application made by Police to issue a restraining order against the protest planned to be held on August 9 by several political parties and civil organisation against President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the current Government.’ »

BY Buddhika Samaraweera

Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin, who was released on bail after being remanded for allegedly violating a court order, was received by a large group of teachers and principals near the Lipton Circus Roundabout in Colombo yesterday (8).

Stalin, a well known trade unionist, was produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court yesterday (8). At that time, Colombo Fort Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage ordered that he be released on two personal sureties of Rs. 500,000 each.

Meanwhile, before he was released on bail, a group of teachers and principals had organised a protest near the Lipton Circus Roundabout in Colombo, demanding his release. Stalin, who was subsequently released on bail, also arrived at the venue last evening and was welcomed by the assembled teachers and principals.

Continue reading ‘Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin released on One Million Rupee bail after being remanded for allegedly violating a court order Attends immediately after his release the Protest demanding his release by teachers and principals near the Lipton Circus Roundabout in Colombo’ »

China said yesterday (8) that it was “senseless and unreasonable” to “pressure” Sri Lanka to defer the planned docking of Chinese space and satellite tracking research vessel Yuan Wang 5 at the Hambantota Port citing security concerns, in a thinly veiled reference to India, which has expressed strong objection to Sri Lanka over the planned docking.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin, at a media briefing in Beijing, asserted that “the co-operation between China and Sri Lanka is independently chosen by the two countries, and meets common interests” and “does not target any third party”.

He urged “relevant parties” to not be unreasonable about the ship’s arrival.

“China urges relevant parties to see China’s scientific explorations in a reasonable and sensible way and stop disturbing the normal exchange between China and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a sovereign State. It can develop relations with other countries in the light of its own development interests,” Wang said.

Continue reading ‘China says it is “senseless and unreasonable” to “pressure” Sri Lanka to defer the planned docking of Chinese space and satellite tracking research vessel Yuan Wang 5 at the Hambantota Port citing security concerns, in a thinly veiled reference to India, which has expressed strong objection to Sri Lanka over the planned docking.’ »

Amidst a potential diplomatic clash with far-reaching consequences, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is engaged in “quiet diplomacy” to persuade China to agree to its request to defer the docking of the Chinese vessel Yuan Wang 5 to dock at the Hambantota Port this week, diplomatic sources told The Morning, while the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka had requested an urgent meeting with senior Sri Lankan authorities over the matter.

Quiet diplomacy involves efforts by one State to influence the behaviour of another through discreet negotiations or actions, and is being employed by the GoSL in an effort to ensure that it antagonises neither China, which is crucial to its hopes of obtaining an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, nor India, which has virtually bankrolled Sri Lanka amidst an unprecedented economic crisis.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka engages in “quiet diplomacy” to persuade China to agree to its request to defer the docking of the Chinese vessel Yuan Wang 5 t at Hambantota Port this week; Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka requests urgent meeting with senior Sri Lankan authorities’ »

By

Kishali Pinto – Jayawardene

President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s nonchalant claim that the law operates equitably in Sri Lanka (‘the law is the same for you, me and everyone’) in a carefully calibrated address at the ceremonial opening of the ninth session of Parliament this week, bears an uncanny resemblance to what his Presidential predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa had been fond of saying.

Absurd assertions on the law

That Rajapaksa mantra was taken to the extreme point of deputizing a Buddhist priest, known for inciting communal hatreds, to head a task force to bring about, ‘one country, one law.’ This was yet another of the many profound absurdities that we saw, along with the banning of chemical fertiliser, the placing of inept military men into key public sector positions and allowing an incompetent band of charlatans to drive the country into bankruptcy.

Wednesday’s assertion by the United National Party’s leader, who was handed the Presidency on a plate as it were, is no less absurd. Why are Sri Lankan Presidents so fond of claiming equity in the operation of the law when the contrary is so plain that a child can see it? An example close at hand is the starkly differential treatment meted out to two prominent trade unionists, both of whom participated in civic protests. One, a politically compromised (close to the United National Party) trade union leader (Saman Ratnapriya) was conferred the grand post of Director General, Trade Unions under Wickremesinghe’s aegis.

The other, a longstanding campaigner for workers’ rights and Secretary of the Sri Lanka Teachers Union, (Joseph Stalin) was summarily arrested. Both were involved in substantially the same act, standing alongside each other in protest marches on May 28th 2022, as they called for ‘Gota to Go.’ That, by itself, is not a crime, an offence causing damage to public property or illegal entry to state buildings. But one is ‘rewarded’ and the other is ‘punished.’ From whence comes this distinction, this very specific differentiation sans logical classification?

Continue reading ‘Saman Ratnapriya and Joseph Stalin Participate Together in May 28 Protest March Urging Gota to Go; Saman Ratnapriya is made Director General, Trade Unions under President but Joseph Stalin is summarily arrested and Remanded’ »

By

K.K. S.Perera

Searching for the meaning of the word “legitimate,” I referred dictionaries. Piled up a cross-section of the meaning in Collins, Webster’s, Cambridge and Britannica, as given below: They define legitimize/legitimacy as to make something legal or to make it acceptable, permissible or correct.- to give official or formal sanction; to authorize, to make lawful; give legal status. In law, “legality” is distinguished from “legitimacy.” An act can be legal but not legitimate or it can be legitimate but not legal.

DS Senanayake took oaths as First PM in 1947, [with the help of some independents and Tamil parties who opposed UNP at elections], though he gathered only 39% of the total votes cast, which gave the UNP only 43 seats in a house of 96. The appointment was Legal; but was it Legitimate? Dudley Senanayake, the son of DS, was legally appointed to succeed his deceased father as the new PM, overlooking other seniors, like Sir John Kotelawala in 1952: the decision was legal, but was it legitimized? Our political history is inundated with similar events.

As for Ranil Wickremesinghe, his opponents say his election by parliament is legal, but not legitimized for the reason he failed to win a seat or he was rejected by the voters at last elections. There are certain negatives; his childish behaviour in the August assembly and appointing his chum, a dubious character as the Governor of Central Bank; a huge blunder that resulted in billions of rupees frauds under his administration.

Even his critics have confidentially expressed, reluctantly though, the fact that he will haul this country out of its backward status, and give back his people some self respect. That’s the optimism we all must share. Ranil Wickremesinghe, may be the most unpopular and hitherto unsuccessful political leader of our lifetime, whereas Mahinda Rajapaksa was the most popular and charismatic leader ever reigned. But today, Ranil remains the only capable leader who can pull us out of this calamity.

Continue reading ‘Sajith Premadasa is weak, indecisive and cannot bear any pressure, This mess is because he didn’t have the guts to form a government and take on the corrupt Rajapaksas.Using bombastic words or archaic obsolete dictionary terms does not make a good opposition leader.’ »

Gamini Weerakoon

(The writer is a former editor of The Sunday Island, The Island, and consultant editor of the Sunday Leader.)

George Orwell in ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ writes a story of a ‘Non-Party’ man (Winston) being tortured by Party Man (O’Brien) who is trying to make him accept that if all records pertaining to the past are destroyed; his memory is erased permanently and the only source of information about the past is what the Party says, it will control the past (history) and who controls that past will control the future and who controls the present will control the past.
The relevant excerpt reads: O’Brien looking down at him speculatively with the air of a teacher taking pains with a wayward but promising child.

‘There is a Party slogan dealing with the control of the past. Repeat it,’ he said.

‘Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past,’ repeated Winston obediently.
‘Who controls the present controls the past,’ said O’Brien, nodding his head with slow approval. ‘Winston, that past has real existence?’

All this may sound like some kind of Orwellian metaphysics to readers but reflecting on Sri Lanka’s immediate historic past, its present and future, it does seem that the 20 million Sri Lankan populace is in the same quandary as Winston of Nineteen Eighty-Four and are being subjected to similar insufferable torture.
Is Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four being re-enacted in Sri Lanka in 2022?

Continue reading ‘‘Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past,’- George Orwell’s 1984 repeats itself in 2022 Sri Lanka’ »

By Dinitha Rathnayake

Protestors of the “aragalaya” (struggle) have declared 9 August as a “national day of protest” (Jathika Virodatha Dinaya) in their respective cities and regions.

According to sources, people will gather in their own towns to protest against State repression, especially demanding that the Government abolish the state of emergency, emergency law, and the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as that it release all protestors who have been arrested and that it cease the hunting down of protestors.

A leaflet of new demands and the way forward is to be distributed during the regional protests on the same day.
The National Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (NTUCC) will be organising a rally on Viharamaha Devi grounds in Colombo on 9 August at 2 p.m.

Continue reading ‘9 August 2022 Declared“National day of protest” (Jathika Virodatha Dinaya) by “Aragalaya”Protesters;Island-wide Protests to be held in Outstation towns;National Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (NTUCC) will stage rally at Viharamahadevi park in Colombo on same day 2 pm’ »

By the “Sunday Morning” Political Editor

The Government on Thursday (4) decided to rescind the permission granted to the Yuan Wang 5 Chinese research vessel with the relevant official communication to the Chinese Embassy in Colombo being delivered on Friday (5), The Sunday Morning learns.

The Yuan Wang 5’s visit to Sri Lanka that was earlier scheduled for Thursday (11) caused much controversy, with India posting strong concerns and protests over permission being granted for the Chinese vessel to dock in Sri Lanka as the vessel has satellite and missile tracking capabilities.

The Sri Lankan Government made several efforts, including several unofficial discussions being held between the President and the Indian and Chinese envoys in Sri Lanka, to resolve the diplomatic row over the Chinese vessel.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka Rescinds Permission Given for Chinese Vessel “Yuan Wang 5” to dock at Hambantota for Replenishment: “The Ministry requests that the arrival date of the vessel Yuan Wang 5 in Hambantota be deferred until further consultations are made on this matter,” says Lankan Foreign Ministry note;Chinese Envoy Protests to President Wickremesinghe’ »

By

Gagani Weerakoon

(excerpt from the “Ceylon Politics” Column titled “Sajith boycotts Ranil’s Tea Party in the “Ceylon Today” of August 6th 2022)

After the President’s Policy Statement, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa got SJB MPs together and started to discuss about the speech.

At that time, Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella asked Premadasa whether they were going to attend the traditional Tea Party. Rajitha Senaratne said the SJB should attend the occasion.
A majority of the SJB MPs had said the party should attend the tea party, except a few who were listening to Premadasa’s speech. MPs Harsha de Silva and Eran Wickramaratne also said they should attend the occasion.

However, Premadasa did not stop his speech.

Continue reading ‘SJB Leader and Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa Keeps Away from the Tea Party Given by President Ranil Wickremesinghe after his policy speech in Parliament’ »

By Marianne David

Several incidents of people being shot dead and dead bodies washing ashore along the Colombo coastline, especially at Galle Face, have been reported in Sri Lanka in recent weeks, leading to the country being engulfed in a climate of fear and indicating a breakdown in law and order.

Shooting incidents in the last two weeks alone have resulted in 11 deaths since 26 July – seven dead in shootouts in the last week of July, one on 2 August, another two on 4 August, and one yesterday (6) afternoon.
According to the Police, nearly 20 shooting incidents have been reported in Sri Lanka from 30 May to date, leaving 22 individuals dead.

Continue reading ‘Majority of recent shootings are related to drug trade wars and settling of old scores says Police Spokesman; mostly unidentified bodies washing up in beaches due to death by drowning have no indication of murder or assault injuries.’ »

By

Sandun Jayawardana

Two weeks after being elected to office by Parliament, President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday (3) delivered a wide-ranging policy statement to the legislature where he outlined a series of political and economic reforms. He also renewed his appeal for parties in Parliament to come together to form an all-party government to resolve the prevailing crisis and establish stability.

President Wickremesinghe’s first statement of government policy was largely well received by both the government and opposition. While outlining immediate solutions, Mr Wickremesinghe also focused on the long term, speaking of his aim to create a surplus in the primary budget by 2025 and a solid economic foundation for the country by 2026.

He revealed that the government was preparing a “National Economic Policy” for the next 25 years. While there might be calls for him to step down, the speech made it crystal clear that this is a President who intends to settle in for the long haul.

Continue reading ‘“The law will be applied equally to the people who attacked the peaceful protesters on 9th May and those who are engaging in violence and terrorism under the guise of the struggle. I will ensure that there is no political intervention in this process,”-President Ranil Wickremesinghe in his Policy Speech’ »

By

Kishali Pinto-Jayawardene

The sullen growling of the Sri Lankan populace looking resentfully on as the nation’s political establishment consolidates itself once more, in the wake of an unparalleled surge of people power leading to the fleeing of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa amidst the tactical retreat of the Rajapaksa family, must not be mistaken for weakness.

Farcical exercises of power

We have a ‘new’ President in place, no doubt. But a President ‘chosen’ by a Rajapaksa Parliament, while perfectly within the confines of the subversive Constitution that Sri Lanka is saddled with, is certainly not the moral solution to the extraordinary crisis of the State that we see. That solution is rendered even more hideous by the fact that President Ranil Wickremesinghe was resoundingly rejected by the electorate at the polls and only entered the House through the vagaries of the
National List.

A cynic may well respond that electoral mandates mean little when a President who, just a few years ago, obtained a ‘stunning’ peoples’ mandate, was literally chased away from his house. That said, what we have now is hardly a ‘stable’ or ‘secure’ Government conducive to setting the economy to rights, as global financial rating agencies have themselves affirmed. It does not require much punditry to work that one out surely. Jostling heads of parliamentarians to have an ‘all party’ Government of the same rogues who brought this crisis on the heads of Sri Lankans is hardly the answer.

Continue reading ‘Counter-attacks by the State may not have been enabled to such a flagrant extent if lunatic political elements had not infiltrate the ‘aragalaya’ (peoples’ struggle) and if violence by some of its proponents had been publicly condemned far sooner.’ »

By Shantayanan Devarajan and Homi Kharas

(Shantayanan Devarajan is Professor of the Practice of Development at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a former Senior Director for Development Economics and Acting Chief Economist at the World Bank. Homi Kharas is Senior Fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution. This article was first published by Foreign Affairs on 4 August)

Sri Lanka is in the midst of the worst economic crisis in its 74-year post-Independence history. Sri Lankans have clearly laid the blame for their country’s economic woes at the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government’s feet, but Sri Lanka is not the only developing country at risk of tipping into a debt crisis.

The question now is whether Sri Lanka’s implosion will prove an isolated event, the result of uniquely poor economic management, or a harbinger of a regional or even global debt crisis. Previous defaults have come in waves, sweeping through Latin America in the 1980s and East Asia in the 1990s. A similar string of defaults could hit highly indebted developing countries across the world as they cope with the lingering effects of Covid-19, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and rising interest rates in the developed world.

The good news is that international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have become more proactive about preventing, rather than reacting to, debt crises. The bad news is that friction between China and Western countries has made it harder for developing nations to renegotiate their debt, since Beijing does not want to bail out private US or European financial institutions, and Western governments do not want to bail out Chinese financial institutions.

To stave off a string of devastating defaults in the developing world, two things will have to happen at once: at-risk countries will need to seek help from international financial institutions before it is too late, and Chinese and Western creditors will need to do a better job of co-ordinating their debt restructuring processes.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka’s debt crisis was the result of bad economic policies, an unwillingness to make hard decisions, and to a lesser degree, tensions between China and the West.’ »

By

Meera Srinivasan

Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday affirmed the island nation’s commitment to the ‘One China Policy’ and asked countries to “refrain from provocations”, in a message apparently directed to the United States, days after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s controversial visit to Taiwan.

In a series of tweets, Mr. Wickremesinghe said: “During a meeting with H.E. Qi Zhenghong, Ambassador of China, I reiterated Sri Lanka’s firm commitment to the one-China policy, as well as to the UN Charter principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations. Countries must refrain from provocations which further escalate the current global tensions. Mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of countries are important foundations for peaceful cooperation and non-confrontation.” The Chinese Ambassador “discussed the manner in which the bilateral relations could be further strengthened,” the President’s office later said in a statement, of their meeting held Wednesday afternoon, hours after Mr. Wickremesinghe delivered his inaugural address following his election as President.

On July 20, a majority of lawmakers backed the six-time Prime Minister and senior politician for Presidency after the top office fell vacant after mass citizens’ protests ousted former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the wake of a severe economic downturn. Ambassador Qi met Mr. Wickremesinghe on July 22 to convey a congratulatory message from Chinese President Xi Jinping, among the first world leaders to reach out to Mr. Wickremesinghe. “I attach great importance to the development of China-Sri Lanka relations and am willing to provide support and assistance within our capacity to President Wickremesinghe and the Sri Lankan people in their efforts,” President Xi had said in his message.

Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe affirms nation’s commitment to the ‘One China Policy’ and asks countries to “refrain from provocations”, in a message apparently directed to the United States’ »

President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday ceremonially declared opened the third session of the ninth Parliament. Following the ceremonial opening at 10 a.m. the President presented the Government’s policy statement in accordance with powers vested in him through Article 33 of the Constitution. Addressing Parliament for the first time after being elected, President Ranil Wickremesinghe stressed on the need for MPs along with the entire populace to contribute with their own strength towards the efforts of nation building. He explains the planning framework which will be the basis for the country’s future journey.

Following are excerpts of the President’s speech.

I was elected as the President on the 20th of last month, as having secured the trust of the majority of the Members of Parliament. Today I am addressing you for the first time as the President.

This House represents the various communities of Sri Lanka. Whether you are Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher or any other ethnic group, you are gathering here as the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

Representatives of the Parliament were elected by people belonging to the various ethnic groups. However we are all Sri Lankans, no matter which ethnic group we represent.

Today, I am addressing you as the President of every Sri Lankan citizen.

Our country consists of communities belonging to different cultures, following different religions and speaking different languages. I defend the right of all of you to maintain cultural practices, follow your religious beliefs and use your language.

I am also constitutionally bound to give Buddhism the foremost place and accordingly protect and foster the Buddhasasana, while assuring all other religions in the country their rights.

We have been blessed with an ancient legacy not only religiously, culturally and socially, but also economically. It has been nurtured by different cultures. That is how the concept of “Satharawaram Deviwaru” is related to Buddhist culture. Today, we are entrusted with the responsibility of building the future based on these ancient legacies.

I took over a country that was in disaster. Severe economic crisis on one side, massive public opposition on the other. However, I decided to accept this critical challenge, on behalf of my people and the country, based on the premise that it is my duty to light even one lamp for the country rather than cursing the darkness.

Continue reading ‘“I took over a country that was in disaster. I decided to accept this critical challenge, on behalf of my people and the country, based on the premise that it is my duty to light even one lamp for the country rather than cursing the darkness.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Policy Statement.’ »

By Tisaranee Gunasekara

“Nations are made not of oak and rock but ofmen,and as the men are, so will the nations be” – Milton Meyer (They thought they were free)

Sovereign defaults have a long history. Imperial Spain, imperial Britain, revolutionary Russia, republican Spain, they all did it. In 2020 seven countries defaulted, Argentina for the ninth time. But the Rajapaksa-sovereign default is in a class of its own. Generally countries do not wait till foreign reserves hit rock bottom before defaulting. We did. Lebanon, which defaulted for the first time in 2020; has a foreign reserve of $ 11 billion. We have a hard time finding a few millions to pay for fuel or medicine.

The dilatory nature of our default was due not to design but to denial. Until late March 2022, the Rajapaksas insisted that we were facing a passing squall rather than a tsunami. Ignorance and the complicity of the upper bureaucracy enabled the Rajapaksas to occupy their separate nothing-much-is-the-matter reality as the economy unravelled.

A similar unwillingness to face political reality is evident in the Government and the Opposition today. The Government is labouring under the delusion that targeted repression of dissenters can bring about political stability. The Opposition seems to believe that ousting Ranil Wickremesinghe is Lankan people’s current preoccupation.

According to the World Food Programme’s Food Insecurity Assessment, 6.3 million Lankans (nearly 30% of households) do not know where their next meal is coming from. 6.7 million Lankans are not consuming acceptable diets, a deprivation that especially affects pregnant women, babies and children. Foreign remittances which increased slightly in May dropped again in June. Exporters are reportedly stashing about $ 800 million a month outside the country. Punitive legislation is not the answer. The only solution is to regain national confidence. That requires not brittle repression but a political truce.

Continue reading ‘The Government is labouring under the delusion that targeted repression of dissenters can bring about political stability. The Opposition seems to believe that ousting Ranil Wickremesinghe is Lankan people’s current preoccupation’ »

By

Col R Hariharan

Ninth of July 2022 would long be remembered in Sri Lanka as the day the three-month long ‘Aragalaya’ peoples protest movement succeeded in forcing their elected President Gotabaya to agree to resign on July 13. However, the President agreed to resign only after protestors forcibly occupied the President’s House and secretariat and laid siege to the prime minister’s Temple Tree residence on July 9. They forced him to flee from Sri Lanka to Maldives and later end up in Singapore. His resignation came by e-mail to the Speaker four days later from Singapore. His future continues to be as uncertain as the country clawing its way from bankruptcy.

The month also saw the change of fortune of Ranil Wickremesinghe, long time presidential aspirant, who never got elected. Wickremesinghe was brought in as prime minister by President Rajapaksa after public protests on May 9 forced PM Mahinda Rajapaksa to quit and seek safe haven. On the fateful night of July 9 irate mobs set fire to PM Wickremesinghe’s private residence to punish him for his association with the President. It is ironic that the continuing Aragalaya protests have paved the way for PM Wickremesinghe to be elected president by majority of parliamentarians.

In a secret ballot held on July 20, he secured 134 votes, with a comfortable margin of 52 votes over his nearest rival Dallas Alahapperama of SLPP. Dallas had wanted Rajapaksas to quit and apparently this had cost him the election, despite the support of the main opposition party SJB led by Sajith Premadasa.

Continue reading ‘President Wickremesinghe will resist any call for him to quit and serve till November 2024 when the next presidential poll is due. As he enjoys majority support he will be in no hurry to call for a general election, as his detractors have demanded.’ »

By

Ananth Krishnan

United States House Speaker and veteran Democratic politician Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday evening, marking the most high-level political engagement between the U.S. and Taiwan in 25 years.

China condemned the visit as “a major political provocation” and said it would launch “targeted military operations” as countermeasures, even as Beijing on Tuesday scrambled Su-35 fighters across the median of the Taiwan Strait in a show of force, placed restrictions on several Taiwanese exporters, and announced live-fire drills to be held in six regions surrounding the island of Taiwan from Thursday to Sunday.

China’s Defence Ministry said it is “on high alert” while the PLA Eastern Theatre Command announced it will hold joint sea and air exercises in the sea and airspaces of northern, southwestern and southeastern Taiwan and also carry out missile tests.

Continue reading ‘U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrives in Taiwan on Tuesday Evening despite threats from Beijing of serious consequences and Countermeasures’ »

Victor Ivan

Evidently, the Aragalaya (struggle) did not have a clear idea about the goals it hoped to achieve. Also, it did not have a clear idea about the limitations of its strength. The developments of the Aragalaya, especially the fact that President Gotabaya relinquishing the presidency and fleeing away can be considered as a special situation caused by the weak and foolish manner in which President Gotabaya Rajapaksa faced the challenge posed by the Aragalaya rather than an outcome of the strength or wisdom of the Aragalaya itself.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa did not possess an in-depth understanding of the State or its administration. Apart from that, he could be considered as a leader who had a military (barracks) temperament and Sinhala Buddhist sectarian mind. Even before he had assumed a high position of the stature of the presidency, he had acted on a policy of mercilessly crushing all kinds of non-Buddhist and non-Sinhala struggles. But surprisingly, in regard to the recent Aragalaya which is described as the struggle of “love” by some of its proponents, President Gotabaya too, seems to have swayed with a policy of loving it rather than crushing it.

While the Aragalaya was in progress, I happened to meet the President with Herman Gunaratne, a planter and an author of books, to get the doors open for initiation of a public-oriented reform program. At the end of the discussion, I requested the President not to attack the strugglers even if they commit a mistake. I was surprised by the President’s response. He quipped instantaneously that he had cautioned the police and security forces not to resort even to a baton charge against them, let alone shooting them.

Continue reading ‘Gotabaya relinquishing the presidency and fleeing can be considered as a special situation caused by the weak and foolish manner in which President Rajapaksa faced the challenge posed by the Aragalaya rather than an outcome of the strength or wisdom of the Aragalaya itself’ »

By

“Citizen Jane”

Dear Madam Ambassador,

On April 2, 2022 you tweeted “Sri Lankans have a right to protest peacefully–essential for democratic expression. I am watching the situation closely, and hope the coming days bring restraint from all sides, as well as much needed economic stability and relief for those suffering”

Salutary words Madam. Neither the then incumbent President, the opposition, the Aragalaya or anti Aragalaya forces nor the members of the ordinary general public to which I belong, tweeted, face booked, instagrammed any objection to this rational and admirable point of view and justifiably so.

When you declared that Sri Lankans have a right to protest peacefully we presume that right to peaceful protests you condone are those that are truly peaceful, held in a manner where no laws are flouted. We presume you would not condone any protests, where protesters occupy state property and refuse to vacate the premises forthwith, when court orders are issued, directing them to do so. A protest, based on the upholding of democracy and eradication of corruption, must practice what they preach and violate no laws themselves. A protest engaged in defacing public and private property in the name of democracy, a protest with slogans violating the constitution of our country cannot be defined as a peaceful protest by any means!

Continue reading ‘“As an ordinary citizen of Sri Lanka, I implore you to be circumspect and fair in your tweets”- An open letter to US Ambassador Julie J. Chung’ »

By P.K.Balachandran

On July 9, it looked as if Sri Lanka was undergoing a revolution through raw peoples’ power. Massive crowds had converged on Colombo to force the incompetent President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to quit. The Presidential palace, the Presidential Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s office were stormed, vandalized, and occupied. But the most barbaric act was the burning of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s personal residence, that housed thousands of books and rare objet d’art.

Shockingly, a member of the opposition in parliament and a former army chief, Field Marshal Sarath Foneska, even appealed to troops not to obey orders. Unhelpful Western diplomats kept urging the government not to use force to stop the protesters while turning a blind eye to arson and vandalism indulged in by the so-called “peaceful protesters.”

The Gotabaya Rajapaksa government did totter soon enough. The President fled to Singapore and resigned by email from there. Sri Lanka had had its first successful revolution, the media crowed, as previous attempts in 1962, 1971 and 1988-89 had failed. The hated Rajapaksas had been banished and the country was thought to be on the threshold of a new order with the common man in the driver’s seat.

Conventional politicians went on a “pilgrimage” to the agitators’ camp to pledge support and seek “guidance” from the motely crowd. The media, both local and international, sang hosannas for the Aragalaya (Sinhalaese word for struggle), while totally blacking out the vandalism and arson committed by the agitators.

Continue reading ‘The most barbaric act of arson and vandalism by the so called “peaceful protesters” was the burning of then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s personal residence that housed thousands of books and rare objet d’art’ »

BY Buddhika Samaraweera

Noting that an intelligent and disciplined group of young people pioneered the people’s struggle or “aragalaya”, which demanded the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his Government, the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) claimed however, that a few inappropriate people who joined it later disrupted the movement and caused violence.

Speaking to The Morning, NMSJ Chairman Karu Jayasuriya said: “The youngsters who started the struggle wanted to create a society with justice and fairness. A very intelligent and disciplined group of young people were instrumental in driving out an unjust regime and this no political party or civil society could achieve. They had reasonable demands, but of late, a few persons disturbed this movement and created violence.”

Recalling that the NMSJ has been working very closely with many groups involved in the struggle, Jayasuriya, who is also a former Speaker of Parliament, said that the NMSJ however cannot approve of the killing and harassing of people’s representatives (MPs), burning their houses, and damaging other properties.

Continue reading ‘National Movement for Social Justice Chairman Karu Jayasuriya states that a few inappropriate people who joined the “Aragalaya” later disrupted the movement and caused violence;NMSJ cannot approve of the killing and harassing of people’s representatives (MPs), burning their houses, and damaging other properties says Ex-speaker’ »

By Philip Wen and Tripti Lahiri

Sri Lanka’s new president said the country has experienced the worst of its economic crisis and that restoring political stability will allow it to begin turning a corner, starting with finalizing negotiations for an International Monetary Fund bailout that had stalled due to recent turmoil.

“I think we’ve already hit the bottom,” Ranil Wickremesinghe said in an interview Sunday with The Wall Street Journal. “I can see the light at the end of the tunnel; it’s how fast we can get to it.”
He also acknowledged that it will take months before most Sri Lankans, who have faced runaway inflation and long queues for fuel and cooking gas, will begin to see their economic circumstances improve markedly.

Speaking from his office in the Presidential Secretariat, which Mr. Wickremesinghe only moved into on Wednesday after it had been occupied earlier in July by protesters, the president said he expected the IMF staff-level agreement to be reached by the end of August, after which the country would be able to further talks with sovereign bondholders and bilateral creditors. Any preliminary agreement would still require IMF board approval for the disbursement of funds, a process that could take months.

“We are down to the nitty-gritty,” he said. “We would have had it this month [July] if it were not for the unstable political condition.”

Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe Tells “Wall Street Journal” that Ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has not told him he planned to return to Sri Lanka soon; “I don’t believe it’s the time for him to return,I have no indication of him returning soon.” Says Ranil’ »

By Meera Srinivasan

India has raised the scheduled visit of a Chinese research vessel to a Sri Lankan port with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, after the Ministry of Defence in Colombo confirmed the ship’s arrival, despite New Delhi giving a “clear message” on its concerns.

While there is no official statement so far from either the Indian mission in Colombo, or the President’s office in this regard, the matter “was raised at the highest level by the Indian side,” an official source in Colombo, familiar with the development, told The Hindu on Monday.

Following media reports last week of ‘Yuan Wang 5’ — a Chinese vessel involved in space and satellite tracking — calling at Sri Lanka’s southern Hambantota Port, the Ministry of Defence denied such a vessel was arriving. However, taking back its denial within days, the ministry said last weekend that it had cleared the vessel’s entry into the Chinese-built Hambantota Port, where it would dock from August 11 to 17.

Continue reading ‘India raises the scheduled visit of Chinese research vessel ‘Yuan Wang 5’ to Hambantota with President Ranil Wickremesinghe,the matter “was raised at the highest level by the Indian side,” an official source in Colombo tells “The Hindu”’ »

By
Suhasini Haidar and Meera Srinivasan

Sri Lanka’s Defence Ministry on Thursday denied reports that a Chinese research vessel involved in space and satellite tracking would enter the Hambantota port in August this year, even as India sent a “clear message” that it was monitoring the ship’s progress “carefully”.

“We have no confirmation of such a vessel calling at the Hambantota port,” a Defence Ministry spokesman told The Hindu in Colombo, when asked about the reports. The vessel’s arrival was highlighted by BRISL (Belt & Road Initiative Sri Lanka), a Colombo-based organisation studying China’s ambitious connectivity project.

On its website, the BRISL said “Yuan Wang 5, which set sail from the Chinese port of Jiangyin on July 13, and passed by Taiwan is now in the East China Sea, and was expected to dock in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port from August 11-17 for ‘replenishment’ while it continues to conduct Space and Satellite control and research activities in the north-western part of the Indian Ocean Region” through August and September.

“The visit of Yuan Wang 5 to Hambantota Port will be excellent opportunity for Sri Lanka and the regional developing nations to learn and develop their own space programmes,” the report published by the “education and consulting platform” BRISL said last week.

Continue reading ‘India sends “clear message” that it is monitoring the ship’s progress “carefully” of Chinese space and satellite tracking research vessel “Yuan Wang 5” expected to dock in Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port from August 11-17 for “replenishment” but Sri Lanka Defence Ministry Spolesman says “We have no confirmation of such a vessel calling at the Hambantota port,”’ »

Sri Lanka – Civil Society Statement on attacks and reprisals against peaceful protesters

28th July, 2022

We, the undersigned individuals and organizations strongly condemn the ongoing attack including violence, false labeling and legal reprisals against unarmed peaceful protesters
by the Sri Lankan government. We call for an immediate end to reprisals against those exercising their constitutionally protected rights to advocate for change.

We are extremely concerned by disturbing developments of abduction, arrest, intimidation,and reprisals against protesters that have been ongoing and increased over the past several days. On 25th July, media reported that Colombo Magistrate Court had issued a
travel ban on Fr. Jeevantha and several other prominent human rights defenders involved in the protests and on 27th July, a church was visited by local police, who had told the priest resident there that they had received orders from Colombo to arrest Fr. Jeevantha.

On 26th July, a person involved in protests at the Galle Face was arrested from a flight that was about to leave from the Bandaranaike International Airport, after he had legally cleared immigration. Uniformed police officers and reasons for arrest was only given after protest by fellow passengers.

On 27th July, Veranga Pushpika, an active protester at the Galle Face, a former student activist and journalist, was abducted from a bus in broad daylight by men in civil. Police had later acknowledged his arrest, but not given clear indication of his whereabouts to
lawyers and the Human Rights Commission for several hours.

Continue reading ‘Full Text of Civil Society Statement on attacks and reprisals against peaceful protesters Signed by 165 Individuals and 10 Organizations’ »

By Krishna N. Das and Waruna Karunatilake

India, which is trying to expand its influence in crisis-hit Sri Lanka after China made deep inroads there, said on Thursday it was aware of reports about the planned visit of a Chinese vessel to a Sri Lankan port built with money from Beijing.

Shipping data from Refinitiv Eikon showed research and survey vessel Yuan Wang 5 was en route to the southern Sri Lankan port of Hambantota and was expected to arrive on Aug. 11.

“The government carefully monitors any developments having a bearing on India’s security and economic interests, and takes all necessary measures to safeguard them,” India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a weekly media briefing.

“I think that should be a clear message.”

Continue reading ‘India says it will protect its interests as Chinese research and survey vessel “Yuan Wang 5” heads to Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka’ »

BY Dinitha Rathnayake and Buddhika Samaraweera

Key figures of the “aragalaya” (struggle) are facing intimidation at the hands of the Government, the Police, and the military, activists allege, with arrests as well as surveillance measures, including wiretapping their phones, taking place.

According to sources, Attorney Nuwan Bopage, Catholic priest Fr. Amila Jeewantha Peiris, Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF) Convener Wasantha Mudalige, and former IUSF Convenor Lahiru Weerasekara are facing intimidation by the Government.

It is also alleged that the security forces are following these activists while tapping their phones and trying to intimidate the people who support them.

Continue reading ‘Key figures of the “aragalaya” (struggle) facing intimidation at the hands of the Govt,Police and military;arrests,surveillance measures, including wiretapping of phones taking place;Among Targets are Attorney Nuwan Bopage, Catholic priest Fr. Amila Jeewantha Peiris, Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF) Convener Wasantha Mudalige and former IUSF Convenor Lahiru Weerasekara’ »