Apr 20 (Island) Having failed to disperse those who had been blocking the railway line at Rambukkana for over 15 hours in protest against the latest increase in the price of diesel and petrol, the police yesterday evening opened fire on protesters. Several protesters suffered injuries, and one of them, succumbed to his injuries; two others underwent emergency operations at the Kegalle hospital. more..

Apr 20 (Island) The current US dollar crisis has negatively impacted the CSE’s foreign investors. It has confronted them with difficulties in repatriating dividend payments made to them by companies, along with other financial gains, CSE chairman, Dumith Fernando said. ‘It is beyond the CSE’s control to resolve their problem. But we have already informed the Central Bank to address this issue but the CBSL has not done anything due to the dollar crisis, Fernando told a media conference more..

Apr 20 (DM) SriLankan Airlines would be summoned before the COPE regarding the plans to lease 21 flights, COPE Chairman Charitha Herath said today. He told Parliament that he discussed the matter with the Auditor General and decided to summon SriLankan Airlines before the COPE. "We will summon SriLankan Airlines and obtain information on the matter and provide a report in Parliament," he said. MP said this in response to a question raised by former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, more..

Apr 20 (FT) A breakaway group from the ruling SLPP yesterday joined other parties in Parliament, calling on the Govt to step down immediately while warning that a delay in doing so could lead to violence as public anger over increasing shortages and rising costs worsen each day. Former Prez Sirisena who, along with a group of 40 SLFP MPs, 11-party alliance and SLPP MPs, sat in Opposition said people have lost faith more..

Apr 20 (Island) NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa told Parliament that the govt had lost its moral right to govern the country. “The govt no longer has a moral right to govern. Soon the public servants would not listen to the govt. The newly-appointed ministers would not be able to get the officials to perform since they know that this govt is without legitimacy. It is only a matter of time before this entire govt collapses.” Weerawansa said that the seniors in the govt, who had been relegated to more..

Apr 20 (NR) IGP CD Wickramaratne claims Police were ordered to fire below the knee at protesters in Rambukkana. In a special statement, the IGP said individuals at a filling station adjacent to the Rambukkana Railway Station commenced a protest around 1am yesterday, owing to the fuel shortage. He said by morning the protesters had blocked the Rambukkana Railway line obstructing train operations. IGP said the Rambukkana Police at the time attempted to meet their demands more..

Apr 20 (DM) The UN and the US have expressed concern over the police shooting in Rambukkana during a protest by the residents over the rising cost of living and shortage of fuel where one person had been killed, and several others had been injured. The UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Hanaa Singer in a Twitter message said “Deeply concerned by reports of harm to protestors in #Rambukkana. Violence by any party involved hinders the rights of all peaceful protestors. more..

Apr 20 (NR) Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security Rt. Maj. Gen. Jagath Alwis says an investigation will be conducted to determine if Police used excessive force during the protest in Rambukkana yesterday. Secretary said yesterday’s incidents were unfortunate, adding that Police attempted to disperse protesters with minimum force such as tear gas and baton assaults. However, Secretary said the protesters acted violently, and also attempted to set fire to 33,000 l of fuel. more..

Apr 20 (EN) Sri Lanka has asked the IMF for a quick access Rapid Finance Instrument (RFI) while India is backing the island to get a bigger Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with more reforms, a govt statement said. RFI is a low access facility with around 100% of quota given to countries with high capacity to implement policy reforms where as EFF will help for a long term reform with around 100% of the quota. more..

Apr 20 (FT) Let me suggest that we have been overtaken by a toxic brew of complacency and machismo fetishism. Good enough has been good enough for too long, even when we saw social and economic cracks and fissures forming here in Lanka. Even when insane policies were undertaken during the COVID period, with lunatic lockdowns galore, recurringly inflicted and withdrawn – everyone teetering on the brink of shutdown – with nary a reliable, data-based explanation. more..

Apr 20 (AD) Four new State Ministers including TMVP leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillayan, have been sworn in before Prez Rajapaksa. MP Chandrakanthan has been appointed as the new State Minister for Rural Road Development, President’s Media Division reported. Meanwhile SLPP MP Sathasivam Viyalendiran has been appointed as the State Minister of Youth and Sports while ACMC’s Mohamed Muszhaaraff has been appointed State Minister of Textile more..

Apr 20 (FT) The media has recently reported of a proposal to amend the Sri Lankan Constitution to provide for an interim Cabinet with a limited number of Cabinet Ministers with proven merit in the subject-matters they are to be empowered to deal with. The proposal stems from an attempt to accommodate the interests of a group of politicians and members from all walks of public life who have been demanding a change of those exercising executive power in a socio-political context in which more..

Apr 20 (AD) SL Police says that a special team of 20 police officers has been appointed under the IGP’s instructions to investigate yesterday’s incident at Rambukkana, which resulted in the death of a protester and left several others injured. SDIG Ajith Rohana stated this during a press briefing held today to brief on the progress of the investigation regarding the incident. He said that a special police team has been appointed by the Senior DIG in charge of Sabaragamuwa Province, more..

Apr 20 (DM) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene denied informing the party leaders that Prez Rajapaksa is ready to resign if the leaders of political parties request him to do so. "There is a report circulating on social media that I have informed party leaders of Prez's willingness to resign if they (party leaders) make a request," he said. This caused an uproar as Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa reiterated that Speaker informed more..

Apr 20 (DM) SL Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) has asked people to file complaints with them immediately if their foreign employment is more than three months late, according to SLFEB Deputy General Manager Mangala Randeniya. He said that if any foreign agency promise foreign jobs, that should be provided within three months. If not, people have the authority to make complaints against such foreign employment agencies.The Daily Mirror reliably learns that more..

Apr 20 (Island) All licensed commercial banks in the country are still facing a huge crunch in foreign exchange inflow, although inward remittances can be converted to SL rupees at a much higher rate since the Central Bank floated the SL rupee. This was revealed in a report released by the Lanka IOC. It says that exporters are not coming forward for conversion of foreign currency, even at the rates higher than official ones. Lanka IOC, a subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation that operates more..

Apr 20 (Reuters) The International Monetary Fund said discussions with Sri Lanka on a potential IMF loan program are at an early stage and any deal would require adequate assurances that the island country’s debts can be put on a sustainable path. In a statement emailed to Reuters, IMF Sri Lanka Mission Chief Masahiro Nozaki said that IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva discussed lending options and policy plans more..

Apr 20 (Island) Sri Lanka was on a low emissions path, but despite its low carbon footprint much more needed to be done to achieve set targets, Secretary to the Environment Ministry Dr. Anil Jasinghe said at the National Consultants for the Stockholm +50 Conference in Colombo yesterday. He said: “We look forward to achieving 14.5% reduction of greenhouse gases and increasing our forest cover to 32% by 2030. Pollution is the least attended area in SL, however, we have now introduced more..

Apr 20 (FT) UNP Leader MP Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday tabled in Parliament a draft proposal to revive the economy and strengthen the role of Parliament in the exercise of its powers over public finance. These include directing the Committee on Public Finance to inquire and report on the state of public finance including amending the Appropriation Act 2022 to ensure financial provisions for the protection of vulnerable groups; as well as COPE to inquire and report on the financial position more..

Apr 20 (EN) SL’s dairy farms are hit by foreign exchange shortages with feed, medicine, and vitamin supplies disrupted and costs rising, an industry association said. “Proper micronutrients and vitamins from the quality feed is an essential part of our industry as the animals play an integral role in the supply chain,” Binesh Pananwala, President of AIDA said. “It is imperative that feed such as maize and silage is readily available as it would greatly assist in sustaining the industry. more..

Apr 20 (EN) SL has paid 38 million US dollars for two ships, Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said allowing coal for power generation during a monsoon season to be unloaded. “Two vessels carrying 120,000 MT of Coal begun unloading after the payment of US$ 38 million,” Minister Wijesekera said. “With these two vessels the Coal requirement before the monsoon deadline is fulfilled.” The South West monsoon starts in May when coal cannot be unloaded through more..

Apr 20 (AD) World Bank says it is ready to provide emergency support to SL and protect the vulnerable people amidst the unprecedented economic crisis in the country. World Bank Vice President for South Asia Hartwig Schafer said he held talks with Finance Minister Ali Sabry and Governor of CB, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe in Washington on Tuesday (19). He said they discussed actions to address economic crisis, more..

Apr 20 (AD) SJB MPs Faizal Cassim, Ishak Rahuman and M.S. Thowfeek, who had previously extended their support to the govt, today informed the parliament that they will no longer support the govt. Delivering a brief statement in Parliament, MP Faizal Cassim said that the three MPs including himself have decided to withdraw their support to the govt with effect from today. Cassim expressed his gratitude to the MPs and ministers who had assisted him when he was with the govt. more..

Apr 20 (DM) Prez Rajapaksa today urged all citizens to refrain from violence as they protest and assured an impartial and transparent inquiry into the Rambukkana violence. Rajapaksa, in a statement on his Twitter said SL citizens' right to peacefully protest will not be hindered and the Police will carry out an impartial and transparent inquiry into the Rambukkana incident which led to tragedy for which he was deeply saddened. "I urge all citizens to refrain from violence as they protest," more..

Apr 20 (DM) A group of professionals consisting largely of legal and medical practitioners has requested Prez to resign forthwith in response to the demands of the People. The professionals pointed out that Article 38 (1) (b) of the Constitution provides for the resignation of the Prez by means of a communication addressed to the Speaker. The professional group under the banner of Direction SL–Independent Professionals for the Nation more..

Apr 20 (Island) Torrential rains that wreaked havoc on some parts of the country during the weekend have claimed two lives and affected 83 people of 25 families, besides damaging 18 houses. According to weather forecaster Indika Pushpakumara the two deaths were reported from the Eastern Province. Dept of Meteorology yesterday forecast showers or thundershowers at several places in Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva, North-central and Eastern provinces for this evening or tonight. more..

Apr 20 (EN) Power cuts of 3 hours and 20 minutes have been approved for Sri Lanka for April 21, Public Utilities Commission Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said as forex shortages due to money printing by the central bank triggered forex shortages disrupting fuel imports. All Areas (ABCDEFGHIJKLPQRSTUVW) will have power cuts of 2 hours from 0900am to 0500pm and 1 hour and 20 minutes from 0500pm and 0900pm. Download the full power cut schedule from here: more..

Apr 20 (DM) Protests continued throughout the country today over the fuel price hike, shortage of fuel and demanding the resignation of the current government, including the President. Traffic on the A9 and A6 roads in Dambulla was severely disrupted due to a protest while the main road along the Colombo Galle road was also blocked from Panadura Town. Also, the protesters were crossing the Galle-Colombo road at Balapitiya and Ambalangoda. more..

Apr 20 (AD) Minister of Public Security Prasanna Ranatunga made a special statement in Parliament regarding yesterday’s incidents at Rambukkana. He said that the govt including the Prez would like to express its regret with regard to the Rambukkana incident, to the House and the people of the country. He said they would also like to express their regret to the family of the person who died in the incident and to those who were injured during it while also hoping for their quick recovery. more..

Apr 20 (NR) Minister of Health Prof. Channa Jayasumana today informed Parliament that the decision to lift the mandatory regulation of wearing face masks in public places was reached by the COVID-19 technical committee of the Ministry of Health that comprises of 15 experts. However, Minister said he instructed Director General of Health Services to reconsider the decision and inform whether regulation should continue. more..

Apr 20 (CT) Lawyers’ Forum for the People and the SL Young Journalists’ Association (SLYJA) appealed to the OHCHR, the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association to exert immediate and maximum pressure on the Govt to address the grievances of the citizens. They said, the Govt should also be pressured to respect the right to freedom of expression, opinion and more..

Apr 20 (CT) Though the fishing community has been promised that they will be provided with necessary fuel to carry out fishing activities, it has not been provided till today and no steps have been taken to provide them, said the TNA General Secretary, former Parliamentarian and Northern Provincial Council member, M.K. Sivajilingam. He said earlier, the fishing community used petrol and diesel for their boats and other fishing equipment. However, now they are forced to use kerosene and more..

Apr 20 (Island) Catholic Church has sought an explanation from the govt after former Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (retd.) Sarath Weerasekera, admitted, in Parliament, yesterday, that his security contingent used a Toyota Land Cruiser V8, which had belonged to Easter Sunday suicide bomber Zahran Hashim. The lawmaker said so when SJB MP Harin Fernando asked MP Weerasekera to explain more..

Apr 20 (Island) Founded on 18th February 1922 as an Association of Ceylon Magicians, headed by Gate Mudaliyar A.C.G.S. Amarasekera, with Harold Holden, T.G.R. Goonewardane, Simon Perera, Linden de Alwis, Herbert E. Gonsal, and Vivien Abhayaratne, the Association progressed in the cultural entertainment field up to the 1950 era and thereafter galvanized itself into creating a niche in the entertainment field. In 1953 the name was changed to Sri Lanka Magic Circle (SLMC) more..

Apr 20 (CT) The failure to provide proper medical services will result in increase in communicable diseases in the community along with maternal and child mortality, President of Public Health Inspectors Union (PHIU), Upul Rohana said. Expressing serious concern, Rohana said that the economic crisis, power, fuel, gas crises and many other ongoing crises have affected the country severely; especially the public health service which has been operating in Sri Lanka for a long time and more..

Apr 20 (Reuters) India and Sri Lanka have resumed talks on linking their electricity grids, officials told Reuters on Tuesday, a step that could aid New Delhi's goal of reducing China's influence on the island nation, now grappling with a severe economic crisis. There was no immediate prospect that power cuts brought by the crisis could be eased by the talks, which are a preliminary effort on a multi-year project both sides have explored before. more..