Mar 4 (CT) Sri Lankan politics in the twenty first century has been one heck of a dissipating riot. It’s been one riot with a modicum of order but no character at the core and no core in the character. Those who engaged in this enterprise have turned their brethren’s lives upside down, dashed their hopes and shattered their dreams. They flirted with their friends’ paramours and allowed their own paramours to feel free to indulge more and more loosely. The gains at the end of the lurid and more..

Mar 4 (FT) Noam Chomsky coined a term to explain the US’s obsession with Cuba, Mafia doctrine: The Godfather does not tolerate disobedience (Hopes and Prospects). Give respect, or you are punished. Today, what Professor Chomsky called, an underappreciated principle of international order, is at play in Vladimir Putin’s thuggish onslaught on Ukraine. If President Putin stayed his forces on the borders of Luhansk more..

Mar 4 (CT) The lead story in this newspaper’s yesterday’s edition carried the heading, Import of 600 Non-Essential Items Discouraged. To quote excerpts it said, “With the foreign exchange (FX) crisis getting worse by the day, a Gazette Notification is to be issued discouraging 600 non-essential imports to save foreign reserves, Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila said.” Gammanpila’s strategy to preserve the country’s sparse foreign reserves is not something new. more..

Mar 4 (GY) The onset of the bi-annual sessions of the UNHRC, in which Sri Lanka features prominently on the agenda through UNHRC Resolution 46/1, contributes to several local activities. It results in an increased public debate about the state of the nation’s human rights situation, witnesses a hand-picked team from the Attorney General’s Dept going to Geneva as the govt’s defense attorneys and a flurry of activities – currently completely inconsequential -coordinated by the Ministry more..

Mar 4 (WB) Sri Lanka has 1,620 km of coastline and exclusive rights to fish, drill and conduct other economic activities in a 517,000-square-kilometer exclusive economic zone in the Indian Ocean. However, this does not mean that there are limitless fish resources waiting to be harvested. In fact, an important portion of the fisheries harvested by more than 50,000 SL fishing vessels are already overfished & require rebuilding. more..

Mar 4 (TM) The ongoing UNHRC session is unlike any other UNHRC session or international human rights-related forum Sri Lanka has attended, and it is likely to be an extremely decisive one for Sri Lanka. In addition to the usual human rights discussion SL engages in with the UNHRC, which appears to be worsening gradually owing to SL’s lack of action with regard to addressing human rights issues and recent human rights violations, this year, one of the country’s leading religious leaders, more..

Mar 4 (SO) Progressing on previous work on tax revenue leakage and illicit markets, the Research Intelligence Unit (RIU) launched its latest report on the economics of tobacco taxation providing a macro-level overview of the tobacco industry in SL, including the illicit market. The report is aided with preliminary results of an ongoing tobacco consumer and retailer primary survey. Understanding the nature of the overall tobacco market with special focus on the illicit segment is pivotal to more..

Mar 4 (Island) The govt is coming under increasing pressure to ask the IMF for assistance. It is wary of doing so owing to the constricting conditions that IMF help usually comes with. It does not want to mend its ways, and is behaving like a dipsomaniac afflicted with cirrhosis refusing to receive medical treatment for fear of being asked to stop drinking. Not that the IMF has a magic potion that can cure all economic ills of this country, but the govt has run out of options. more..

Mar 4 (Island) A document on the United States Indo-Pacific Strategy issued by the White House, in February 2022 states: “The United States will pursue five objectives in the Indo-Pacific – each in concert with our allies and partners, as well as with regional institutions”. “We will: * ADVANCE A FREE AND OPEN INDO-PACIFIC; * BUILD CONNECTIONS WITHIN AND BEYOND THE REGION; * DRIVE REGIONAL PROSPERITY; * BOLSTER INDO-PACIFIC SECURITY; more..

Mar 4 (CI) There is a stepdad-of-the-year vibe to Dimuth Karunaratne's leadership. When he got the job in early 2019, the SL captaincy - never not a theatre of high drama - was in a particularly toxic place. Dinesh Chandimal had not merely been replaced as captain, but also been dumped from the team entirely. In the previous four years, three others had led the side, on top of which Chandika Hathurusingha, the coach at the time, more..

Mar 4 (Island) Today’s first Test against India will be SL’s 300th Test match and the venue that is hosting this game will be I.S. Bindra Stadium in Mohali, one of the cities in the state of Punjab. The ground has been named after one of cricket’s most powerful men – I.S. Bindra – a former President of Board of Control for Cricket in India. A former Secretary of Indian President Zail Singh, Bindra was the President of Punjab Cricket Associating from 1978 to 2014. He along with Jagmohan Dalmiya more..

Mar 4 (FT) Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 detections rose to 648,410 after 711 persons tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. All patients detected yesterday were from the New Year cluster. The previous day, 751 persons from the New Year cluster tested positive for COVID-19. The Health Promotion Bureau states that 5,432 PCR tests and 2,896 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Wednesday. In total, 543,225 patients from the New Year cluster, 82,785 patients from the Peliyagoda cluster, more..

Mar 4 (CI) The runners-up of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) and No. 2 Test side in the world will host the current table-toppers in the ongoing WTC cycle, starting tomorrow. The first Test of the series will be the 100th of the most marketable cricketer since Sachin Tendulkar retired. And yet, the anticipation that goes with a big series is missing. The biggest reason for this, of course, is Covid-19. Teams live in bubbles, more..

Mar 4 (Island) Page 3 of The Island on Monday, Feb 28 carried the news item I had barely listened to on TV English news the previous night. I seem to avoid watching political meetings and audience inundating rhetoric; if not promises made by one side and blame laying by the other. The headline read: Prez denies responsibility for economic crisis. Immediate response loud and clear from Cassandra was “Who then Sir?” reminiscent of the never-ending verbal game played as kids mouthing the king more..

Mar 4 (ST) The present 5-time national champion in motor bike racing Sangeeth Suriyage after many awards and accolades is now looking forward in developing his students in his driving school in a bid to propel them in succeeding him. His driving school – Pure Performance Team – consist a student-base of half-a-dozen of them and settled Suriyage in his sport of motor racing is keen in developing and installing all the knowledge he has on them. “If the kids can surpass me that would be my more..

Mar 4 (CT) Disciplinary Committee of Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) held an inquiry on 2 March on the complaint of abuse lodged against Police Coach Asanga Rodrigo and three others by SL Society of Rugby Football Referees (SLSRFR). The recommendation of the Inquiry Panel is a suspended sentence of 2 matches for Coach Rodrigo and Assistant Coach Harin Gomes. The recommendation against Manager Chamika Ranasinghe and Physio Azmi Thassim were a suspended sentence of more..

Mar 4 (DN) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is expected to recommend top coaching positions within the National Cricket set up while they mainly focus on local coaches for National under 19, emerging, and SL ‘A’ teams. The top officials of SLC Exco, Cricket Advisory Committee, the Selection Committee had a successful discussion two days ago to appoint the coaches for the sides. The senior official of SLC said former National players Naveed Nawaz, Avishka Gunawardena, Jehan Mubarak, more..

Mar 4 (TM) Suppliers of generators for sale or rent are reporting a high demand beyond their ability to cater as the public is increasingly looking for alternatives to receive an uninterrupted supply of electricity amidst daily islandwide power shortages and hence, they are investing in backup sources of electricity for their homes and businesses. A supplier of generators for rent stated that since Jan 2022 he has been bombarded daily by queries more..

Mar 4 (ST) There are many debates these days as to why SL must or must not reach out to the IMF for assistance in overcoming the current debilitating economic crisis. Looking at four things about today’s economic situation that is historically unprecedented for Sri Lanka — the country’s reserves have fallen to one-and-a-half month of imports, a record breaking low since the creation of the Central Bank; credit ratings are low and Sri Lanka has lost access to international financial markets; more..

Mar 4 (Island) Seylan Bank PLC recently entered into a MOU with National Chamber of Exporters of SL (NCE), reviving a strategic partnership with the NCE to boost SL exports in global markets. Taking the first step towards a long standing journey, the agreement was exchanged on 10th February 2022, at Seylan Bank Head office with the presence of senior officials of both organizations. Through this strategic alliance, Seylan Bank PLC will support member exporters of the Chamber more..

Mar 4 (FT) Burial or cremation will be permitted at any cemetery or burial ground for the remains of persons who die of COVID-19 starting midnight tomorrow, health officials announced. The method of disposal for COVID-19 remains approved in SL has come under heavy criticism in the past. In Feb 2021, a technical committee approved burial for the remains of COVID-related deaths, after the decision making cremation mandatory more..

Mar 4 (AD) The committee appointed to inquire into the incident of an attack on medical faculty students in Ragama has handed over its report to Prez Rajapaksa. The report states that former State Minister Arundika Fernando has been found not guilty with regard to the accusations of being involved in the said incident. The incident had taken place on the night of Feb 1, when a group of individuals had forcibly entered the men’s hostel of the Kelaniya Uni’s Faculty of Medicine more..

Mar 4 (Island) The current administration could not look after even the basic needs of the country, and therefore it was ridiculous to expect such an administration to solve the issues faced by the minorities, TNA MP for Kilinochchi, S. Sritharan said. MP said that none of the issues faced by the Sinhalese had been addressed as well. “The govt seems to be incapable of doing anything. There is no fuel in gas stations, there is no power, & prices of essential items have gone through the roof. more..

Mar 4 (Island) The CEB will not able to produce adequate amounts of electricity to end load shedding, despite assurances given by Prez & PM that there won’t be power shedding after tomorrow (5). “There is no way that the power plants can produce adequate amounts of electricity,” CEB Joint Trade Union Alliance Convener Ranjan Jayalal said. Responding to The Island on the countrywide power cuts, Jayalal said that the power cuts were are being implemented in an ad-hoc manner. more..

Mar 4 (Island) Ministry of Health has set the maximum retail price of 500 mg paracetamol tablets at Rs. 2.30 each. It has issued an gazette notification to this effect. The new price comes into effect from 28 Feb 2022. The gazette says the maximum retail price of paracetamol tablets/capsules 500 mg shall be applicable to all the brand names of the generic name of the paracetamol tablets/Capsules 500mg. “A manufacturer, importer, trader, distributor, more..

Mar 4 (TM) State Minister Vidura Wickramanayaka and SLPP MP Premnath C. Dolawatte are yet unaware about any disciplinary action being taken against them by the SLPP, after participating in the launch of the separate national manifesto Taking the Nation On the Correct Path to solve the economic crisis faced by SL. Dolawatte said that there are media reports that the SLPP’s disciplinary committee will discuss this matter. more..

Mar 4 (PMD) Prez Rajapaksa handed over the appointment letters to 13 new High Court Judges at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (03). The new High Court Judges have been appointed on the basis of seniority. President mentioned to the judges that he expected to see the preservation of the independence of the judiciary, ensuring the rule of law in the country, and taking action to prevent delays in court proceedings. A.G. Aluthge – District Court Judge; R.R.J.U.T.K. Rajakaruna more..

Mar 4 (CT) A Sri Lankan student in Australia has been sentenced to 13 years and six months in jail for threatening young girls. Identified as Ranpati Amarasinghe, he is in the country on a bridging visa while he studies at Deakin University. A Victoria county court was told yesterday (02) how he coerced young girls into sending explicit images and videos. If they failed to comply with his demands for more, Amarasinghe sent the initial material to their families and friends. more..

Mar 4 (EN) SL’s central bank has hiked interest rates 100 basis points in a bid to reduce money printing as forex shortages worsened amid as tourism recovered. The central bank said the rate at which new money is printed would be raised 100 basis points to 7.5%. The rate is still half the 15.1% inflation in Feb 2022. The CB said considering the severity of external problem and disruptions to domestic economic activity more..

Mar 4 (Reuters) Indian Oil Corp (IOC) will supply gasoil, gasoline and jet fuel to Sri Lanka, the company told Reuters, as the island nation fights a crippling economic crisis that has caused an acute fuel shortage. Sri Lanka has faced power outages running into hours in recent days owing to a lack of funds for fuel to fire power plants. The fuel shortfalls have also led to long lines at petrol and diesel stations over the past month. The country needs about $500 million a month to source fuel, more..

Mar 4 (WAM) His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, has received a phone call from Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prez of SL. During the call, historical ties between the two countries were reviewed, with the leaders stressing on the importance of continuing to strengthen economic cooperation as well as trade and energy ties. The call also touched on a number of regional & int'l issues of common concern. more..

Mar 4 (FT) The IMF yesterday warned of serious downside risks for SL’s socio-economic outlook urging the Govt to implement multiple measures to successfully address both immediate and medium term challenges. The assessment follows the conclusion of the Article IV consultation in February, on which an announcement was made public yesterday. Whilst acknowledging Sri Lanka has been hit hard by the COVID-19 more..

Mar 4 (FT) The country is moving towards pitch darkness instead of from darkness to light. It can be said that the present program of scheduled power cuts imposed island-wide and how it is being implemented, amply symbolises the destructive journey of the country towards darkness. The balance of payments crisis in SL is obvious and critical. It is not difficult to understand the breakdown of the social system. But the deterioration of the State mechanism is not so obvious. more..

Mar 4 (FT) In the early stages of the Gotabaya administration, the general view was that India was getting stepmotherly treatment in SL. Some of the inked deals with the previous administration were abrogated. For example, going back on the 2019 agreement with India and Japan to build the East Container Terminal at the Colombo Port. However, later on, Adani Group entered into a $ 700 million deal to build a strategic deep-sea container terminal. Adani Group will build a brand-new terminal more..

Mar 4 (CT) Five Northern Tamil political parties have written to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet recently stating that they strongly feel that an internationally conducted and monitored Referendum was the only way to bring about a permanent political solution to the ethnic conflict, thereby stopping mass atrocities against the Tamil people. The five politicians were the Leader of Tamil Makkal Kootani (TMK) / Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootani (TMTK) C.V. Wigneswaran; more..

Mar 4 (Island) Supreme Court yesterday fixed for support three Fundamental Rights petitions challenging the legality of the a presidential pardon given to former MP Duminda Silva. A 3-judge-bench comprising Justice Vijith Malalgoda, Justice Gamini Amarasekara and Justice Yasantha Kodagoda fixed the petitions for support on 31 May. The petitions have been filed by former Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra, her mother Sumana Premachandra and former Commissioner of HRCSL more..