Jul 13 (Island) All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), Islamic clergy body of scholars, stressed that the Govt should fulfill the demands of the people while urging Prez Rajapaksa, and PM Wickeremesinghe to step down immediately. ACJU President Mufti M.I.M. Rizwe and ACJU General Secretary Ash Shaikh M. Arkam Nooramit said that unfortunately, the people have lost faith in the Govt as its proposed solutions, to resolve this crisis situation, has not been able to meet more..

Jul 13 (Island) Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) urged the Prez, the PM and the remaining Cabinet Ministers to resign immediately and hand over the reins of govt to an all-party govt that can command the respect of the people. Issuing a statement signed by Professor Samath Dharmaratne, Prez and Professor Ishan de Zoysa, Honorary Secretary, the SLMA said “As the apex and principal organisation of doctors in SL, SLMA is extremely concerned by the current political more..

Jul 13 (Island) Actor and civil society activist Peter D’ Almeida has called for the abolition of the executive presidency. Almeida declared that doing away with the constitutionally dictatorial executive presidency should be an immediate priority against the backdrop of the public triumph over the govt. Almeida represented the Artistes for the People’s Movement that had campaigned for the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Entrepreneur Almeida lashed out at Speaker Mahinda Yapa more..

Jul 13 (PTI) Sanath Jayasuriya is both angry and sad to witness his beloved SL grapple with enormous financial crisis and civil unrest but the former cricketer is expecting that democracy will soon be restored in Island nation. Former captain and one of the greatest players to emerge from the sub-continent, Jayasuriya didn't mince words while flaying the politicians, who he thinks have made a mess of everything. "It is a very, very sad situation as to what SL public has to go through. more..

Jul 13 (DM) Party leaders decided to request PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to resign forthwith and allow the Speaker to take charge of the country, PTA Leader Mano Ganesan said. Commanders of the three armed forces, joint staff and IGP had also participated in the meeting. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena expressed confidence that he can obtain the letter of resignation from Prez Rajapaksa before the end of the day, if not, he will resign from his post as the Speaker. more..

Jul 13 (DM) Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has appealed to security forces not to implement unconstitutional and unlawful orders given by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, who introduced himself as the Acting President. He said in a statement that there was rumour that shooting orders have been issued to security forces and that there was a serious danger of creating a clash between the civilians and the security forces. He urged armed forces, as a lawful and disciplined army, more..

Jul 13 (AD) Bar Association of SL (BASL) says it is deeply disturbed at the occupation of the PM’s Office at Flower Road by protesting crowds and called upon them to return the said premises to the authorities immediately. “Whilst the BASL will continue to uphold the rights of peaceful protests, it does not support a situation of lawlessness or anarchy which are unconstitutional.” “Attempts to occupy Govt Offices and to cause destruction and or damage to property do not constitute more..

Jul 13 (Island) Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Tuesday said that it was important to investigate whether there were hidden forces behind the arson attack on PM Ranil Wickremesinghe’s house last Saturday. Jayasuriya said that he condemned the attack on journalists who were covering the protests by a group of STF personnel. He also condemned the burning of PM’s private residence. “When a country is going through a crisis, members of the general public must be informed. more..

Jul 14 (TM) The public furore that Sri Lanka witnessed since the last week of March to date has gained a name as a leaderless movement due to the anti-Govt/anti-President movement not being led by one person or group’s agenda. Even though it was joined by those with vested interests such as politicians, political activists, civil society activists and religious leaders, they all had a common objective, leading this movement to be dubbed a people’s movement. more..

Jul 14 (DM) I write (the time is 12.09 pm, on Wed) at a time when there is a remarkable and unprecedented lack of political clarity in the country. As I write, Gotabaya Rajapaksa has left the country. As per the Constitution, if indeed Rajapaksa did resign, or, as reported, Rajapaksa citing Article 37.1 of the constitution, PM Wickremesinghe has assumed the presidency in an acting capacity. There’s fighting within parliament with parties and politicians unable to decide on who more..

Jul 14 (TM) While several concrete steps are scheduled to take place within the coming few months as far as the political situation is concerned, there is still a huge uncertainty as to how the economic crisis could be addressed. In a new development on Tuesday, it was reported that the framework of a short-term economic plan put forward by SJB MP and economist Dr. Harsha de Silva to Parliamentary economic committee more..

Jul 14 (DM) Politicians, who no sooner elected to Parliament tend to forget they are obligated to serve the people but end up serving themselves, were on Saturday July 9, 2022, pointedly reminded that non-violent people’s power -- provoked by the worst-ever political and economic crises since Sri Lanka gained independence from the British -- when mobilised for legitimate reasons is way more powerful than those in power, who attempt to clothe themselves in flimsy garments of imagined invincibility. more..

Jul 14 (Island) An efficient mechanism is required to guarantee that disclosures made at parliamentary watchdog committees on the basis of Auditor General’s reports are used to further investigate and prosecute wrongdoers. AG’s reports and observations made by watchdog committees underscore the failure on the part of the Parliament to take effective and punitive measures to curb waste, corruption, irregularities and mismanagement. In spite of revelation of more..

Jul 14 (CT) Teachers are facing a compelling crisis stemming from the continuous closure of schools and problems arising in conducting classes online, Divajini Ratnayake, an English teacher at a leading National school in Kurunegala said. She said, the crisis has complicated education more than ever, where virtual education does not work properly in some contexts. “Presently, remote internet based or online education is limited more..

Jul 14 (CT) Aragalakaruwo or protesters, who overthrew Prez Rajapaksa just a few days ago, have now turned their attention on Ranil Wickremesinghe, who wears multiple hats of being the UNP Leader, Premier and acting Prez, urging him to resign. Protesters yesterday occupied the Premier’s Office in Colombo, demanding his resignation. Previously, on Saturday, these protesters torched Wickremesinghe’s private residence in Colombo. Both SLFP leader and former Prez more..

Jul 14 (ST) One is overcome by a sense of déjà vu these days. Right now in London we have witnessed a political tragi-comedy played out by an arrogant and stubborn prime minister. Boris Johnson seems to believe that laws and rules are made for the people and not for him and those closest to him. He is not the only person who suffers from delusions of power and grandeur. Sri Lankans will easily name many who entertain such thoughts that elected to power absolves them and their acolytes more..

Jul 14 (GV) What started off as a few localised protests against the lack of basic necessities, skyrocketing prices and corruption erupted into a fully fledged people’s power movement that succeeded in ousting a fearsome, corrupt and incompetent president whose all encompassing powers proved to be of no use in the end. He and his inner circle demonstrated that they were incapable of governing the country despite all their election promises and pronouncements. more..

Jul 14 (DM) Following the July 9 mass uprising, the then Prez Rajapaksa announced that he would tender his resignation on July 13. Having been turned down by several destinations including India, on the evening of July 12, word went round that the former Prez has fled to Maldives. The Rajapaksa family was initially denied entry to Maldives but following former Prez and Speaker Mohamed Nasheed’s intervention, Prez Ibrahim Solih has granted clearance to land in Maldives. more..

Jul 14 (CNN) They were once seen as heroes of the nation, the almost mythical warrior-king leaders who defeated the separatists in a bloody civil war. Yet the final days of Rajapaksa dynasty tell a very different tale. In the early hours of Wednesday, embattled Prez Rajapaksa made a hurried exit from SL, days after thousands of angry protesters broke into his official residence, swam in his pool, and demanded he finally go. more..

Jul 14 (Island) Protests are intensifying despite Prez Rajapaksa’s exit. They forced themselves into the PM’s Office, and a state-owned television station, yesterday. Prez’s resignation had not been officially announced at the time of going to press. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has been appointed the Acting President, according to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. Wickremesinghe is now exercising the powers of both the Prez and the PM! Parliament is scheduled to elect a new Prez on 20 July. more..

Jul 14 (BS) The ongoing turmoil and fuel shortage in SL have boosted aviation turbine fuel (ATF) sales in South Indian airports like Thiruva¬nanthapuram, Cochin and Chennai. Several flights of Sri Lankan Airlines, Air Arabia, Jazeera Airways, Gulf Air, and Air AirAsia Malaysia are halting at Indian airports for ATF since May. This is giving additional revenue to oil marketing companies (OMCs), airport operators and respective state govts. With the crisis intensifying in the island nation, more..

Jul 14 (FT) SL was pushed into a political impasse yesterday with the much-anticipated resignation of Prez Rajapaksa not materialising and instead PM Wickremesinghe appointed Acting Prez, setting off a fresh wave of protests which continued late into last night. Wickremesinghe’s appointment as Acting Prez was confirmed last night by way of an Extraordinary Gazette under the Prez’s name which said that as he is unable to exercise, more..

Jul 14 (FT) The Artists of the People’s Movement described 9th July as an historic day when people chose democracy over dictatorship and renewed call to abolish the Executive Presidency. Following is the Artists full statement. On 9th July 2022, several million Sri Lankans from all parts of the country converged on Colombo. Undeterred by the severe shortage of fuel and the sinister efforts of the Government to curtail public and private transport, they walked for miles, hitched rides, more..

Jul 14 (FT) Tea exports in the first have been down by 9% volume wise, whilst earnings jumped by 28% from a year earlier according to data. It said 125.2 million kg of teas were shipped during January – June this year compared with 136.9 million kg in the corresponding period of 2021, reflecting a 11.6 million kg drop YoY. SL shipped 23.5 million kg in the month of June which is the highest quantity in any month this year; but was 13% lower than last year’s June quantity of 26.9 million kg. more..

Jul 14 (Island) Last year when Lasith Embuldeniya was injured, Prabath Jayasuriya was next in line to make his Test debut against Bangladesh. The news was leaked that he had failed the 2 km fitness test and had become ineligible for selections. The press went to town. Quietly, Prabath reached out to reporters to inform them that he had not failed the kilometer run, but in fact his skin folds were over the limit. He didn’t twist the knife in anger in telling reporters that they had got it totally wrong. more..

Jul 14 (CI) Reigning champions Jaffna Kings will take on Galle Gladiators in the curtain raiser for the third edition of the LPL, set to begin on Aug 1 in Colombo. The final will take place on August 21 in Hambantota. SLC, in a media release, revealed that the first 14 matches - a majority of the first round games - would take place at the RPICS, Colombo before the action moves to Hambantota on Aug 13 for the last set of first-round games, as well as the eliminator, qualifiers and final. more..

Jul 14 (TM) Despite instructions from the Railway Department management to halt trains that were running towards Colombo midway, following the imposition of curfew in the Western Province by acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday, the station masters, train guards, and locomotive drivers took steps to operate the trains to the Colombo Fort Railway Station. SL Railway Station Masters’ Union (SLRSMU) more..

Jul 14 (BS) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed trade settlements between India and other countries, including Sri Lanka and Russia, in rupees. “In order to promote the growth of global trade with emphasis on exports from India and to support the increasing interest of the global trading community in INR, it has been decided to put in place an additional arrangement for invoicing, payment, and settlement of exports/imports in INR,” the RBI said in a notification on Monday. more..

Jul 14 (TM) Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey stated in the House of Commons that an international arrest warrant should be issued on Prez Rajapaksa and his cronies. “The horrible situation in SL has been brought about by the corruption of the Rajapaksa Govt, tax cuts, skyrocketing defence expenditure and draconian police powers,” he said. Davey went on to suggest that the UK works with int'l partners for a full economic and political solution to more..

Jul 14 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa, who departed for the Maldives amidst the ongoing economic crisis and growing protests demanding his resignation, has not headed to Singapore. He was set to board SQ437 flight belonging to Singapore Airlines, however, he was a no-show at the Changi Airport due to security reasons. He was expected to head to Singapore and send his resignation to the Speaker after landing there. Prez Rajapaksa is now in talks with the Maldivian govt to secure a private jet more..

Jul 14 (Island) Investors are cashing in on the strong prospects of Sri Lanka’s apparel and textile exports sector, the country’s main export industry, which caters to some of the leading fashion brands globally. Although the South Asian island announced that it would default on its foreign debt earlier this year, the country’s exports and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows – both overall and relating to the apparel sector – have bucked the trend, showing remarkable resilience. more..

Jul 14 (DM) Despite the current leadership vacuum in the country, a reputed economist remains optimistic of the prospects of Sri Lanka securing a rescue package from the IMF by Sept-Oct and following a staff-level agreement expected in about three weeks. Georgetown University Professor and a former World Bank (WB) Chief Economist Shanta Devarajan, who is also a member of the Presidential Advisory Group more..

Jul 14 (DN) Two SL’s premier Catholic schools, St. Joseph’s College, Colombo and St. Peter’s College, Colombo, will battle it out for the 88 time in the Battle of the Saints for the Rev. Father Maurice J. LeGoc Trophy on today and tomorrow (14-15) at the P. Sara Oval Stadium in Colombo has been postponed indefinitely. The two schools have produced many national caps. Current SL Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Chaminda Vaas, Thisara Perera, Ashley De Silva, more..