Apr 6 (EN) SL’s tea sector is in crisis as a diesel shortage hit transport and factories were without diesel to run generators during a power cuts, an industry association said as forex shortages hit the country from money printed to keep rates down. “The current situation on the shortage of fuel and electricity is major threat resulting in the disruption of daily activities in the Plantation Sector,” Ceylon Tea Traders Association said. “The transport of green leaf from the fields of the Tea Small Holders more..

Apr 6 (DM) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardane is reported to have ruled out the possibility of Parliament to ask Prez Rajapaksa to step down. At the hurriedly summoned party leaders’ meeting in Parliament, SJB has sought parliamentary intervention to prevail upon the President to quit in a move to douse tension in the country. However, the Speaker has rejected it saying Parliament has no democratic right to ask the Prez to resign. He said the current crisis should be resolved only more..

Apr 6 (NR) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam today requested people of Colombo not to give up on the fight against the govt and to continue anti-govt protests. Addressing Parliament, MP said people question as to why MPs do not join protests on the streets. He cited the incident between the SL Army and the Police in Battaramulla yesterday. MP stated; while Police looked on when an individual set an Army bus on fire more..

Apr 6 (AD) The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) annual flagship economic publication has forecast a muted recovery from the coronavirus disease pandemic as Sri Lanka’s economy grapples with macroeconomic challenges arising from high debt, low foreign reserves, and inflationary pressures. ADB said it projected SL’s economic growth to dip to 2.4% in 2022 and improve marginally to 2.5% in 2023. Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2022 observed that even as the Omicron variant more..

Apr 6 (NR) GMOA charges that the hospital system cannot be maintained owing to the prevalent crisis situation. Member of the GMOA Dr. Kosala Tennakoon said the Ministry of Health lacks funds to purchase essential medicine and to ensure other medical services. Dr. Tennakoon said the essential medicines, and equipment cannot be purchased as a result of the dollar shortage. He claimed the GMOA will engage in an island wide protest in future against the breakdown of the health industry. more..

Apr 7 (DM) Is the SL President attempting to form an interim administration largely to find a solution to the economic crisis or to escape from mounting public pressure? This is the big question that the present lawmakers dodge or show little interest in to provide an answer. Even in parliament on Tuesday (5) we saw lawmakers debating and airing views in parliament about how this country must be governed sans the mistakes made in the past. But who really is interested in that nonsense when more..

Apr 7 (DM) People’s power has shaken the once powerful Gotabaya Rajapaksa govt to the core when in the wake of so much agony and misery, the govt elected to office by 6.9 million people has been overwhelmed by a tsunami of protests by a justifiably angered people from all walks of life, who have stepped out into the streets in large numbers to express their disgust and frustration at the govt’s continued failure to find solutions to the severe hardships faced by them. more..

Apr 7 (DM) Last Tuesday’s motorbike circus in the middle of a public protest near the Parliament by members of an alleged military motorbike unit-without number plates- riding fast and ignoring police orders is a show of sheer arrogance and an immature way of acting at a time when the country is on fire. The video of the incident was all over media and social media. It shows the group of black-clad motorcyclists with masked faces behaving more..

Apr 7 (DM) Take any protest, any demonstration, they are never perfect. One could always find flaws in any such activity, regardless of whether or not one subscribes to the objectives. The innumerable acts of objection that we have seen over the past few days and in fact are unfolding even as I write do not constitute an exception to the above. So objections to the objections are to be expected. Some based on disagreement with the objectives, some to do with political preferences, more..

Apr 7 (CT) Last Saturday (2), Ceylon Today’s web edition carried a story under the heading Former SL Ambassador to US pleads guilty to defrauding Govt. To quote excerpts it said, “Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the US, Jaliya Chitran Wickramasuriya (61) residing in Arlington, Virginia, USA, pleaded guilty today to diverting and attempting to embezzle USD 332,027 from the Govt of SL (GoSL) during its 2013 purchase of a new embassy building in Washington, D.C. more..

Apr 7 (DM) Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Minister Abdul Momen who was in SL in view of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) summit shared his views with Daily Mirror on bilateral ties and opportunities for greater connectivity. Q: What have you gathered from your interactions with the Sri Lankan leaders including the president during your visit? A: We want to help improve our more..

Apr 7 (TM) The recent incident where several Police officers controlling a protest on 5 April near the Parliament building confronted several motorbikers clad in military attire and bearing rifles – who were unidentified at the time, but were later confirmed as being combat riders of the Army Special Forces – went viral on social media, prompting widespread discussion about the group. It was only when this discussion made its way to Parliament that Chief Govt Whip Johnston Fernando revealed that more..

Apr 7 (TM) South Asia’s Arab Spring is here, amid global Cold War tensions and slow tectonic shifts in power and wealth eastwards to Asia and the Indian Ocean region, hastened and heightened by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. As Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Indian PM Narendra Modi last week, Western pressure mounted with almost simultaneous visits from various British, European, and US emissaries who cautioned and questioned Delhi’s historic and close ties with Moscow. more..

Apr 7 (Island) People power has brought the incumbent regime to its knees. The govt grandees who oozed arrogance from every pore, and ignored public opinion are now sounding conciliatory and bending over backwards to pacify the irate masses calling for their resignation. They are even willing to appoint an all-party interim administration! The people at their tether’s end are exercising their sovereignty themselves in the streets, of all places. Their protests are an indictment of all more..

Apr 7 (Island) While a beleaguered govt is fighting for survival, there are plenty of pretenders in the fringes waiting for an easy way to power. Power transfers in SL have always been based on false pretences, contingent on unrealistic promises. This is because reality will never win votes. It is almost as if the populace were willing to be deceived by the best fairy tale. Although, in the past people have been inured to live with disappointments, it appears the willingness to acquiesce the status quo more..

Apr 7 (FT) We are in the twilight hour, a luminal time hovering between a better day and a darker night. The protests are peaceful, largely, so far. Yet anger simmers just below the surface, stoked by desperation. This is particularly so with protestors whose lives have been upended (rather than merely inconvenienced) by the Rajapaksa-led economic unravelling. The attack on parliamentarian Roshan Ranasinghe’s house is a crime & a warning. more..

Apr 7 (FT) SL’s COVID-19 detections rose to 662,342 following the detection of 126 COVID-19 patients yesterday. Previous day, 113 persons tested positive for COVID-19. 2,285 PCR tests and 1,616 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Tuesday. A total of 74,644 COVID-19 patients have been detected this year. SL’s local cases also include 483,090 persons from the New Year cluster, 82,785 persons from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,154 persons from the Prisons cluster, and more..

Apr 7 (FT) COVID-19 vaccines were administered to 2,354 persons on Tuesday and the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to 77.63% of the total population in the country. Second dose coverage in the country is 65.83% of the total population and third dose coverage is 36.03%. Among the population over 20 years, 96.2% has received the second vaccine dose and 54.04% has received the third dose. The first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine has been administered more..

Apr 7 (TM) Despite the continuous deterioration of the Sri Lankan economy, the upcoming meeting at the end of the month with the IMF to secure an IMF programme and the impending maturity of the $ 1 billion international sovereign bond (ISB) issuance in July, the Finance Ministry post continues to remain vacant following the resignation of MP Basil Rajapaksa, with an offer made to former Minister of Trade more..

Apr 7 (DN) Thurstan College recorded a 66 runs victory over Maris Stella Negambo on the D/L method in their Under 19 Division One Tier B semi-final cricket fixture played at Surrey grounds Maggona yesterday. Thurstan led by all-rounder Bhawantha Jayasinghe batting first put on 225 for 9 wickets in 50 overs. When the rain halted the game Maris Stella were 92 for 6 wickets in 29.4 overs and according to the D/L method Maris Stella had to get 159 runs at that stage and Thurstan got more..

Apr 7 (DN) The inaugural National Super League (NSL) four-day cricket tournament final between Kandy and Jaffna will commence today at the Galle International Cricket Stadium. Kandy, led by young all-rounder Kamindu Mendis have a very strong batting lineup while experienced all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva leading the Jaffna side have a strong bowling lineup and this final is going to be a battle between Kandy batters and Jaffna bowlers. Jaffna side coached by Thilina Kandamby more..

Apr 7 (DN) Board of Investment announced that it has received 33 investment proposals worth US$ 1,412 million in the first quarter of this year. This value includes investments of 22 new projects into diverse sectors in Energy projects including fuel and Renewable sources (solar & wind), heavy industry, logistic & IT infrastructure sectors as well as investments into 11 project expansions. The number of new investment proposals received in the first quarter 2022 has shown an 80% increase more..

Apr 7 (DM) Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, who is expected to take over as the new Central Bank Governor, is likely to grant a 500-750 basis point hike in policy interest rate at the next monetary policy review meeting, in order to stabilise the rupee and curb double-digit inflation, First Capital Research (FCR) weighed in. “With the appointment of Dr. Weerasinghe as the new CB Governor, it’s likely that the Monetary Board will go for a 500-750 basis point rate hike. more..

Apr 7 (FT) In a major breakthrough, top corporates have extended support for peaceful protests and the right to freedom of expression, whilst expressing confidence that Sri Lanka will emerge from the crisis stronger and more united than ever before. Premier blue chip John Keells Holdings (JKH) PLC strongly urged all parties to work collectively in the national interest to arrive at sustainable solutions for all the people of SL. more..

Apr 7 (FT) International tour guide, conservationist and award winning wildlife photographer, Paul Goldstein calls on the world to visit Sri Lanka, to help rebuild the economy. “I’ve been in the travel game for almost 40 years. My first visit to SL was in the early 90’s and I’ve returned many times back. You’ll wonder what draws me back? Well, it is a combination of remarkable wildlife, a peerless and captivating coastline, magnificent cuisine, fascinating culture and it is truly breath-taking more..

Apr 7 (FT) SriLankan Airlines has geared up for a busy summer 2022 by increasing the number of scheduled flights by 40% to match pre-pandemic levels and meet the growing demand for air travel as the industry continues to recover. The frequency increases will come into effect across SriLankan’s network of online destinations with the start of the airline’s summer flight schedule. The new schedule will facilitate smoother operations for the airline and offer customers greater flexibility, more..

Apr 7 (FT) SJB reiterated abolishing the executive presidency will help put in place many reforms and improve transparency. The prevalent crisis provides an ideal platform to get the process underway, and parliament should take immediate steps to do so, the party adds. SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne, said his party has an immediate plan of action to diffuse the current crisis, and will take steps to provide greater freedom to more..

Apr 7 (CT) The CIABOC says, Nirupama Rajapaksa leaving the country could hamper the ongoing probe against her. Secretary of CIABOC said though they had recorded a statement from Nirupama Rajapaksa after her name had been stated by the Int'l Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) via the Pandora Papers over the unlawful acquisition of millions of dollars worth of property, it would be impossible to record further statements from her on account of her being overseas. more..

Apr 7 (CT) Govt of Sri Lanka’s (GoSL’s) face value money printing (FVMP) debt increased by 4.76% (Rs 121,784.29 million) to a new record of Rs 2,681,106.97 million (Rs 2.6811 trillion) yesterday, due to a persistent lack of revenue. This increase was however non-demand pull inflationary, as it was used to meet external commitments led by GoSL’s foreign debt servicing commitments and to make essential imports totalling US$ 416.89 million (Rs 129,593.29 million) yesterday. more..

Apr 7 (Island) College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS) President, Ravi Kumudesh told The Island yesterday that they had warned the government almost a year ago that hospitals would run out of medicine by March and April of 2022. “We have sent the President several letters but he didn’t even reply. All previous Presidents at least got a secretary to acknowledge correspondence. The entire country is now paying the price for President Rajapaksa’s arrogance,” he said. more..

Apr 7 (DM) The banking sector has become the latest victim of hours-long daily power cuts, with some banks finding it difficult to keep open their branches and thus deciding to significantly cut down on their opening hours from this week. In general, bank branches operate with backup power from generators. But longer the power cuts, operating them for full working hours becomes costly, particularly with the increased diesel prices. SL’s commercial sector is already subjected to more..

Apr 7 (EN) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed three experts, ex-Central Bank Governor Indrajith Coomaraswamy, Shanta Devarajan an ex-World Bank staffer and Sharmini Cooray, who recently retired from the IMF. All three have international experience and two have worked in agencies which help countries with soft-pegs (managed floats, crawling pegs, now called flexible exchange rates in their latest re-incarnation) more..

Apr 7 (TM) NPP Opposition MP Vijitha Herath alleged that Avant Garde Security Services (Pvt) Ltd. Chairman Nissanaka Senadhipathi had sent 200 people to be among the protesters at Mirihana, near President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s private residence, on the night of 31 March. “When the people were protesting that night, Defence Secretary (Retd.) Gen. Kamal Gunaratne called an emergency meeting with the Defence Ministry. Senadhipathi was part of that meeting. There, he had said: more..

Apr 7 (Island) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena warned that there was the possibility of a severe food shortage, which would be far worse than all other crises. Speaker said that economists had warned of a looming food crisis. He appealed to lawmakers to sink their political differences, as the country was facing a critical situation, and come together to find solutions. “As you know, we are holding this debate at a time when the country is facing biggest economic crisis in its history. more..

Apr 7 (EN) SL’s state-run hospitals are running out of essential medicine and medical equipment while the shortage threatens a major health crisis due to possible medicine supply chain collapse, a health sector trade union said. SL imports 80% of its medicines, but severe shortage of dollars due to the ongoing economic crisis has led to shortage of essential drugs and importers are struggling to meet the demand in the country. more..

Apr 7 (AD) The issue of the masked military personnel at demonstrations outside the parliamentary premises was brought up in Parliament as the main opposition raised concerns about the matter, and called for an unbiased investigation. Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka today denounced the conduct of police officers who attacked uniformed army soldiers on a motorbike, in front of protesters at the roadblock near the Parliament Complex. more..