Mar 19 (Island) Only around 40% of private buses operated yesterday due to fuel shortages, head of the Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) Gemunu Wijeratne said. He said that around 50% of the private buses had operated on Thursday. “Diesel shortage has become a serious problem. Most of our employees are at gas stations, in long queues. Some have to spend the entire night in queues. They are sleep deprived. This can lead to accidents. Who will take responsibility for this mess?” more..

Mar 19 (Island) Former Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy says the failure on the part of successive govts to manage expenditure since the country gained Independence has caused the current economic instability. Throughout Sri Lanka had been plagued by a toxic combination of populist politics and an entrenched entitlement culture among the people, Dr. Coomaraswamy said. “Time and again, the electoral calendar more..

Mar 19 (FT) As far as speeches go, it was a good one in at least one respect. It was mercifully short. Brevity, as the poet wrote, is the soul of wit. In some cases, this is only half-right. As some half-wits have observed, disregarding the demands of time. As many other poetic types on social media essayed however, it was thirteen minutes that they would never get back. One wag noticed that the timing of the much-anticipated presidential address to the nation was 12 minutes and 57 seconds more..

Mar 19 (FT) The world continues to implode on so many fronts. Here in Lanka, finally, finally, the IMF has been invited to help us navigate pass the reefs of financial ruin, bloated debts, emaciated coffers, shortages of essentials, forex instability, and a legion of ills and errors that simply cannot be wished away with a short-term begging bowl or swaps for which we keep deferring payments as interest rates on those commitments start to soar. The American Empire has waylaid its credibility more..

Mar 19 (TM) CEBEU has released a statement insisting that the purchase of long term emergency power must stop and the transparency in emergency power prices must be ensured. Secretary to the CEBEU Dhammika Wimalaratne said that the trust has been lost and the CEB will be at a loss if the purchase of long term emergency power continues. “We have no idea at what rate the emergency power is bought at. The govt says they purchased power, and no one knows the unit price. more..

Mar 19 (DM) In the wake of the foreign exchange crisis, SL has sought further financial assistance from China including the deferment of loan payments and a credit arrangement to import essentials and raw materials. SL has to pay more than US $ 100 million to the Chinese banks as loan installments this year. The govt has sought assistance to reschedule these payments till the country gets over the current crisis. Besides, the govt has sought a separate credit more..

Mar 19 (EN) Sri Lanka has decided to halt all proposed incentives to expatriate workers who remit money through official channels after the rupee fell steeply in recent days, central bank said. The central bank and the govt paid an 10 rupee premium when the rupee was at 200 to the US dollar and a further 38 rupees was proposed by the govt shortly before the rupee fell. The rupee is now around 275 to the US dollar. more..

Mar 19 (CT) Computer Crime Investigation Division (CCID) has urged the Govt to deport Nigerian cybercriminals and create a national framework to combat cyber attacks, which have been on the rise in the country. A National Cybersecurity Strategy is being developed at present and foreign cybercriminals have been arrested. Most of them are Nigerians. In a 12-month period, the CCID collected data on 5,400 complaints, but only 170 suspects were arrested in connection with them. more..

Mar 19 (AD) Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila, and Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara have decided to boycott the All Party Conference scheduled for next week. PHU chairman said they would they plan to issue a statement in this regard on Monday. All Party Conference is scheduled to be held next Wednesday under the patronage of Prez Rajapaksa. The conference was organized following a request made by the SLFP. All political parties representing the parliament have been more..

Mar 19 (BBC) Memories of the dark cell and constant fear for his life still haunt Murugiah Komahan, who spent six years in prison on anti-terrorism charges in SL. Mr Komahan, 40, is among thousands of Tamils and others detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in recent decades. Successive govts dominated by the Sinhalese majority used the PTA primarily to arrest those suspected of links with the Tamil Tigers more..

Mar 19 (CT) SJB MP Mujibur Rahman claimed the Govt was forced to pay USD 432,000 for both gas shipments that were in SL waters for 12 days, with each ship charging USD 18,000 as demurrages at a time when the country is short of dollars. MP Rahman criticised the Prez’s request for the public to make sacrifices, while emphasising that the payment was Rs 120 million. “We believe that what happened with the Chinese fertiliser ship will happen again this time, where the Govt paid USD 6.7 million to more..

Mar 19 (ST) Local turmeric and ginger cultivations have yielded bountiful harvests this season, resulting in a sharp fall in their market prices. Govt earlier imposed a ban on importing turmeric and ginger, resulting in their prices rising sharply, with a kilo of raw turmeric and ginger, selling for more than Rs. 1000 a kilo. However, the prices have now come down due to the successful local harvest. These days, a kilo of raw turmeric and ginger are selling have been priced between Rs.110 & Rs.300. more..

Mar 19 (ST) The kitchen not only as a pharmacy but also as a gym is what was spotlighted at the International Women’s Day celebrations held on March 8, at the Free Ayurvedic Medical Centre at Mattakkuliya run by the Dept of Indigenous Medicine of the CMC. Catering to around 70 people on average per day and open from Monday through Saturday, the centre launched major awareness campaigns on two days connected to Women’s Day as the main programme of the department. more..

Mar 19 (NR) The opposition says there are reports that electricity tariffs will be increased fivefold in the future. Speaking to media after calling on the Chief Prelate of Asgiriya and Malwathu Chapters in Kandy, Former MP Hirunika Premachandra said the opposition will extend its support to the govt, if it implements a stringent economic policy. The former MP said the present administration does not heed any advice and instead resorts to arbitrary decision-making. more..

Mar 19 (FT) The Sunday Times of 13 March 2022 reported that the death sentence imposed by the Colombo High Court on Johnson Colin Valentine alias Vasanthan who was found guilty of assassinating former minister and UNP MP Thiyagarajah Maheswaran has been upheld by Court of Appeal (CA). A bench comprising Judges Nissanka Karunaratne and R. Gurusinghe rejected the appeal filed by Vasanthan, upholding more..

Mar 19 (AD) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) says the govt has decided not to implement the proposed scheme for additional incentives for remittances by expatriate workers and net earnings of exporters. In a statement, the CBSL says the exchange rate seems to have now reached a level surpassing the level of incentives that was intended to stimulate expatriate workers’ remittances and conversion of export earnings, as a result of its decision. Accordingly, the current exchange rate more..

Mar 19 (AD) The price of 400g packet of milk powder has been increased by Rs. 250 with immediate effect, the Milk Powder Importers’ Association said. Thereby, the revised price of a packet of milk powder now stands at Rs. 790 per 400g. The importers decided to increase the prices of the product once again due to the price hike in the global market and the appreciation of US dollar against the Sri Lankan rupee. The rates last went up in December 2021. more..

Mar 19 (EN) Foreign minister G L Peiris had informal discussions with representatives of the UNHRC core group of countries on Sri Lanka on Friday (18) in Colombo. A foreign ministry statement did not elaborate on the discussions, but noted that ministry secretary Jayanath Colombage also took part. The core group comprises Canada, Germany, North Macedonia, Malawi, Montenegro, UK, and US. more..

Mar 19 (EN) COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in schools across the globe turning to online teaching, has further exposed the gulf between students of rich and poorer families in South Asia. Furthermore, it also highlights gaps in teacher training, especially in the area of technology. While EdTech companies have stepped in to fill the void through online teaching during school closures, the efforts are patchy at best, and are also mostly available to schools enjoying a better financial status, more..

Mar 19 (Island) Lawmaker Anura Priyadarshanaya Yapa has said that the Parliament lacks the wherewithal to ensure fiscal discipline though the House is entrusted with that task. MP Yapa, who heads the Committee on Public Finance (COPF), emphasised the urgent need for a system overhaul with proper mechanisms put in place in and out of the Parliament for that purpose. He stressed the need for the Treasury and Parliament had units to prepare, examine & re-examines estimates. more..

Mar 19 (TM) Amidst an economic crisis and the dwindling of foreign reserves, CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, in a written response to a query made by The Morning, assured that SL will fulfil all of its debt obligations. “Earlier, these same people said that we will be bankrupt on 18 January 2022. In fact, they have been making similar warnings since 2020 onwards. Ask them what happened to their previous predictions,” he said. Sri Lanka had $ 6.9 billion worth of debt repayments due in 2022, more..

Mar 19 (DM) The UNP today welcomed the decision made by the government to seek the assistance of the IMF to resolve the present economic crisis. The decision was welcomed by both Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and Chairman Vajira Abeywardene today. Mr. Wickremesinghe on Thursday said it was a prudent decision by the govt to seek IMF assistance. “We are happy about the decision made by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to seek IMF assistance, even if it had come late,” more..

Mar 19 (FT) Fourteem envoys based in SL yesterday in a joint statement expressed support to Ukraine whilst condemning the on-going Russian aggression. The 14 diplomats are Australian High Commission David Holly, Canadian HC David Mckinnon, Delegation of EU Head Denis Chaibi, France Ambassador Eric Lavertu, German Ambassador Holger Seubert, Italian Ambassador Rita Giuliana Mannella, more..

Mar 19 (CT) The existence of Tamil people in this country is at risk and being questioned, as the country is run by military officials according to a militarised system, TNA MP S. Sritharan alleged. He noted that militarisation and militarised rule are the major reasons behind the current situation in the country. He further claimed that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has handed over every sector of the country to an army official and said army techniques cannot manage the lives of people. more..

Mar 19 (CT) A female teacher from a leading Colombo school, who teaches ICT, filed an anticipatory bail application before Colombo Additional Magistrate Lochani Abeywickrema on 18 March. Teacher was seeking bail in the event of her imminent arrest, on charges of sexual abuse of a student over a seven-year period. The initial complaint in regard to the incident had been filed by this teacher and she had said in her complaint that the victim, who is now aged 20, had sent her more..

Mar 19 (DM) The 2022 edition of the Asia Cup, which on this occasion will be a T20I competition, is set to be held in Sri Lanka between Aug 27 and Sept 11. The dates and the host were announced after an AGM was held between the member countries on Saturday. All five Test teams - hosts SL, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan & Bangladesh - will feature in the tournament, as will one more Asian side that will be decided after a qualifying tournament which more..

Mar 19 (CT) General Secretary of Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union, Vadivel Suresh claimed that the President completely ignored the public’s concerns and struggles during his speech to the nation on Wednesday. He said that the SJB recently organised a protest against the Govt and exposed the country’s current situation. However, the Prez denied everything in his address to the nation the next day, claiming that he is not responsible, he said. “At present, people in the country are more..

Mar 19 (CT) A spokesman for the Govt’s backbench MPs said that a few proposals they have put forward to address the country’s major problems, such as the fuel, electricity and gas crises, will be tabled in Parliament next week. He said that the Govt’s backbench and youth MPs are currently monitoring the situation in terms of measures being taken by the Govt to address the issues raised by the public. He added that they had also discussed with the Finance Minister and CB Governor last week, more..

Mar 20 (GV) Much more lucid than in his disastrous last address to the nation, Prez Rajapaksa was noticeably sombre and sober on Wednesday night. Perhaps mindful of the critiques that followed his earlier speech, set in front of a giant stupa or rather a hologram of one, he got to the point straight away. Accepting responsibility for the country and its people, he said that the present crisis wasn’t his making. After quoting some statistics relating to exports and trade and budget deficits, more..

Mar 20 (TM) The month of March in the Roman calendar has been associated with change spanning millennia, and 15 March was the day set apart by the ancient Romans as the Ides of March – a day of feasting commemorating a deity in the pre-Christian era and also the day on which to settle debts. It was only after the assassination of Roman Emperor Julius Caesar by his erstwhile comrade Marcus Junius Brutus et al on this particular day that it took on a whole new meaning. more..

Mar 20 (SO) Minister Johnston Fernando said that if the former Yahapalana Govt had built a strong economy, we should have successfully faced the issues the country is facing today. The country has been safeguarded even to this extent as Prez Rajapaksa rules the country free from fraud and waste. Otherwise, we would have faced a more massive disaster than this. Minister said there is no division in the Govt, adding that more..

Mar 20 (SO) If even a few years ago someone floated the idea of a land war in Europe in the 21st Century, that person would have been laughed out of hand. A war in Europe was simply unthinkable. After all, wars do not happen in civilised continents such as Europe. They are supposed to happen only in the Third World – in places such as Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Eritrea and Iraq. Unfortunately, this reverie was comprehensively shattered on the morning of Feb 24, when Russian tanks more..

Mar 20 (CT) News reports say that the govt party is calling for an All Party Conference (APC). Their focus would be on the current economic crisis and on a possible resolution to it through a dialogue amongst all political parties represented in parliament. Although the mechanism, declared to be adopted by the ruling cabal, seems genuinely authentic, considering the unequivocal hypocrisy they are currently wrapped in, the motive behind such a stately move seems to be more..

Mar 20 (ST) As the oldest surviving democracy in Asia, history will judge SL’s stand of the middle path on the Eastern European conflict. Conflict saw Russia invading Ukraine–a sovereign, democratic nation represented at the UN. SL came under severe criticism both locally and abroad after it abstained when the historic UN Resolution backed by Western countries titled Aggression against Ukraine demanded an immediate halt to more..

Mar 20 (ST) Prez Rajapaksa’s Address to the Nation on Wednesday, hot on the heels of a mass protest rally displaying public anger and angst over the current economic catastrophe playing out, seems to have been primarily to announce to his citizens that he had eventually decided, and had no other choice but to seek the help of international lending agencies to bail the country out of its plight. Going before the World Bank and the IMF have been regular occurrences over the years, more..

Mar 20 (ST) My dear Sajith, I thought I must write to you after seeing and hearing you on Tuesday leading all those people to Galle Face, just outside Gota maama’s office. It was a massive gathering. Even you must have been surprised at the response your Party had to your call for a protest against what’s going on in Paradise. You may have also been surprised that Gota maama didn’t stop you. Someone – perhaps Mahinda maama who might have remembered his own Jana Gosha days more..