May 22 (SO) Central Bank (CB) said expeditious and transparent revision of energy sector tariffs should be a priority to boost the financial position of energy-related state owned entities. In its latest monetary policy stance issued last week, the financial sector regulator said a cost based tariff structure is vital to minimise losses of state-owned entities. It said that energy sector tariffs revision should be a priority while improving the efficiency of social welfare programs to support more..

May 22 (ST) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is to propose a Parliamentary Select Committee to ascertain individuals responsible for the current economic crisis that has led to acute shortages of essential food, medicines, fuel, gas and foreign exchange and to bankruptcy. The proposal for an All-Party Select Committee was opted for rather than a PCoI, PM said. Select Committee is expected to go into the economic conditions that have led to the suffering of the people according to first draft more..

May 22 (ST) Constitutional amendments aimed at strengthening independent commissions, vesting more powers with Parliament and preventing persons with dual citizenship from holding membership in Parliament will be presented to the Cabinet for approval tomorrow. Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that a final review of the amendments would be taken up with PM Ranil Wickremesinghe & Foreign Min. G.L. Peiris more..

May 22 (SO) Commissioner General of Examinations L.M.D. Dharmasena has instructed all Govt school heads countrywide that candidates sitting the GCE (OL) exam 2021 which begins tomorrow, May 23 should refrain from committing any frauds or malpractices while answering the question papers at the exam centres. Around 4,560 special investigators will be deployed from May 23 to June 1 to make sudden visits to the examination centres countrywide to see whether more..

May 22 (TM) Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) maintains that the party will extend its support to the incumbent Govt and assist in providing economic relief to the people, but is yet to make a final call on joining the Govt, according to CWC Leader Senthil Thondaman. Thondaman noted that the party’s decision to join the Govt would be based on its economic revival plan, which was yet to be seen by the CWC. “We have clearly stated that the CWC will join a govt that will provide the best economic more..

May 22 (TM) The draft bill of the proposed new 21st Amendment is to be presented to the Cabinet of Ministers tomorrow, it is learnt. The finalising of the draft bill was one of the first acts of new Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe last Friday soon after his appointment to office. “21st Amendment will be presented to Cabinet on Monday,” Rajapakshe said. The final draft was finalised by a committee headed by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and more..

May 22 (ST) Public Security Ministry Secretary Major General (Retd.) Jagath Alwis has apologised to Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, saying the letter addressed directly to him was not intended to be sent to him. The apology came soon after the Chief Justice forwarded the letter to the Attorney General for action to be taken. Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam has given a stern warning to Major General (Retired) Alwis for overstepping his authority & writing directly to Chief Justice, more..

May 22 (TM) Repairs of one generation unit at the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant will be completed this weekend, Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said yesterday. According to Wijesekera, once online, the generation unit will add 275 Megawatts (MWs) of electricity to the national grid. He said that since the unit was powered by coal, no fuel would need to be allocated for the generation of 275 MWs. However, Minister said that some segments of the Norochcholai Power Plant more..

May 22 (ST) This week brought home a fact which most Sri Lankans were unaware. That is the grim reality that two power centres, one under Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa and another under the then PM, Mahinda Rajapaksa, were operating in parallel. It was brought to the fore after the Black Monday attacks on peaceful protestors outside both Temple Trees and at the Galle Face Green. Some SLPP MPs, their cohorts & goon squads more..

May 23 (ST) Parliament did it again. They proved that they just cannot get together and agree on almost anything, except duty free permits and petrol for themselves. On Tuesday, the election of a Deputy Speaker was a contemptibly inadequate performance by the elected representatives of the people even at a time when their pitiful conduct is already under the public microscope. Both sides of the House adopted parochial attitudes despite the larger issues facing the country & its people. more..

May 23 (ST) This is the trouble when we have too many educated people scampering around bleating we are bankrupt, that soon we won’t be able to buy rice even at a price and all sorts of horror stories which are enough to give even those who voted for Gota (now known universally by that moniker after being told to go home) nightmares. It was only last year that a former professor of economics at the helm of the Central Bank was feverishly printing money after Gota more..

May 23 (TM) UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s appointment as the PM caused considerable change in SL’s existing political situation, and attracted both criticism and admiration from all types of groups. While some were concerned about Wickremesinghe’s ability to save the country from the prevailing economic crisis, some expressed concerns about whether Wickremesinghe’s resurgence would bring answers the people, more..

May 23 (DM) On Thursday (19) the Governor of the Central Bank stated, our country was in pre-emptive default which in ordinary language means our govt is unable to repay debts to its creditors. Just in case there are any persons or groups who do not have faith in statements of Central Bank Chief, especially after the antics of our past Governor Cabraal, two leading international credit rating agencies confirmed Sri Lanka has fallen into default. What this means in real terms, more..

May 23 (TM) In an interview with BBC over the weekend, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that Govts need to subsidise the cost of food and energy for the poorest members of society, and expressed concern that without the correct govt support, the protests seen in SL could be repeated in other countries. She added that similar unrest to SL’s was seen before the pandemic, from France to Chile, due to a growing sense of inequality and decisions being made without more..

May 23 (GV) The Rajapaksa-made crisis affects all Lankans, but not in the same way and not to the same degree. The greatest burden is borne not by the upper or the middle classes but by the old and the new poor. For them, the crisis is a battle for survival in the most literal sense. They have little time or patience for the political arguments which engages those of us for whom the crisis is not yet (and may never be) a matter of life & death. more..

May 23 (CT) Head of the IMF warned Govts around the world yesterday (22), unless steps are taken to subsidise the cost of food and energy for the poorest members of society, protests seen in Sri Lanka could be repeated in other countries as well. IMF Chief Kristalina Georgieva told the BBC that support needs to be provided “in a very targeted manner, preferably by providing subsidies directly to people”. Many Govts are providing some help but critics argue it’s not enough, she asserted. more..

May 23 (Island) Long lines of vehicles are still seen near filling stations in all parts of the country although the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) insists that there is no fuel scarcity. Most people have to wait for long hours to obtain petrol worth about Rs. 6,000 each. They are left with hardly any time for work. Govt politicians and state officials keep giving assurances, but the people do not seem to take them seriously. Fuel rationing has not yielded the desired result due to hoarding, more..

May 23 (CT) This week marks the fiftieth anniversary of Sri Lanka becoming a republic. We observe the anniversary at a time when the large majority of our people are yearning for comprehensive constitutional reform – “system change”, as they put it. Many believe that, after the failure of the first and second republican constitutions, the time is right for the Third Republic. This article in three parts is based on a paper that I contributed to a collection of essays titled Sirimavo, more..

May 23 (Island) Is our Parliament worth the taxpayers’ money? In the light of recent happenings, the conduct of MPs has received much focus. The general sentiment articulated after observing Parliament sessions is one of disgust at the bickering that goes on, the lack of intelligent discourse on any subject, the lack of civility and respect for each other and the overall lack of discipline. Is there any justification for the colossal sums of the taxpayers’ money spent on more..

May 23 (DM) Ajith Rajapaksa, a member of Sri Lanka’s ruling party, was elected Deputy Speaker of the country’s Parliament on Tuesday, which gathered for the first time since former PM Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned and new PM Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in. Rajapaksa, 48, a member of the SLPP, was elected by a secret ballot held in Parliament, from which he was able to secure 109 votes. more..

May 23 (ST) Ex-SL basketball captain Roshan Randeniya wants the national selectors to be present and tap talent when national level prospects are in action. He said those responsible in filtering the cream of the crop, definitely need to come for the matches and take a look at the next generation. “When a U-20 school’s final is on, all selectors need to be at one place. The player’s next step is the senior most team. If they’re not retained in the system, especially the girls’ give up the sport” more..

May 23 (ST) While the country is grappling with an economic crisis of unimaginable proportions, foreign embassies are experiencing a rising number of visa applications in all categories, which most likely means that many people want to leave the country for good. An unusual number of visa applications are piling up every day such that the visa processing times are taking longer than usual, a top western embassy official said. Some 13,000 people have applied for visas through a particular western more..

May 23 (CI) On a flat Chattogram surface, neither Bangladesh nor SL had the kind of superlative attack that would have swung the game decisively. The result being the first Test ending in a draw with not even three innings completed after five days. Although SL and Bangladesh have both had their bowling stocks depleted - SL unlikely to field Vishwa Fernando; Bangladesh having lost Nayeem Hasan to a finger injury & Shoriful Islam to a fractured hand, Mirpur surface has very rarely hosted draws. more..

May 23 (DM) Yesterday (22) marked the country’s golden anniversary as a republic within the British Commonwealth. The republic status was secured in 1972 with the promulgation of first autochthonous constitution, severing ties with the monarchy. Country’s name changed from Ceylon to the Democratic Socialist Republic of SL. Sri Lankans regrettably will mark this milestone minus tamashas and instead with long winding queues for basic supplies like food, fuel & gas at exorbitant more..

May 23 (FT) The Govt is considering bringing regulations to ensure exporters convert their foreign exchange earnings immediately in a bid to ease the pressure on the reserves and urgently meet essential imports such as LPG, medicines and fuel. The move follows the revelation that exporters continue to hold their forex earnings without converting, on the anticipation of the vying for exchange gains despite recent efforts by more..

May 23 (EN) President’s personal shaman was given a 250-man army contingent led by a brigadier, a media report said, but it was unable to prevent the looting and arson of her two-storied home and shrine during mob violence on May 09. The 66-year-old Gnanawathi Jayasooriya, better known as Gnana Akka telephoned army chief Shavendra Silva for help after receiving calls that her compound could be attacked. “Please sir, try and help,” she told Silva who is a frequent visitor to the shrine, more..

May 23 (EN) An investigation into the May 9 mob violence at Galle Face has revealed new evidence on how Colombo’s police were totally unprepared despite repeated intelligence warnings of impending violence official sources said. Intelligence services as well as the Special Branch of the police had warned that up to 6,000 supporters of the SLPP descending on Temple Trees were eventually planning to smash the #MainaGoGama and #GotaGoGama protest sites. more..

May 23 (ST) Gnanawathi Jayasooriya, a.k.a. Gnana Akka, in an exclusive interview with Kumudini Hettiarachchi denies wielding powers over Prez Rajapaksa and other VIPs and says all that she built up through her own sweat, toil and tears now lies ruined after mobs attacked her home on May 9. Some reverently call her Gnana Akka, others Meniyo or just Amma but still others vilify her as an invoker of the wrath of black goddess more..

May 23 (DM) The house belonging to the owner of an IOC Filling Station at Ranajayapura in Ipalogama, Kekirawa was set on fire last night by an angry mob as the station ran out of fuel. According to the Police, a large crowd gathered to get fuel on May 21 and some of them were not issued fuel as the shed ran out of fuel made the mob become furious and torched the owner’s house. The suspects have set the two-story residential building ablaze, which said to be filling station owner's, more..

May 23 (ST) Sri Lanka is to begin negotiations for fresh credit lines with India and China with the aim of raising US$ one billion for the purchase of fuel for the rest of the year, a senior Treasury official said. He said they were trying to obtain US$ 500 million each from these two countries to ensure that petrol and diesel supplies could be maintained after the current supplies end. The move comes as only a US$ 200 million credit line from India was left to purchase fuel. more..

May 23 (FP) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his gratitude to the people of India for handing over humanitarian assistance worth Rs 2 billion amidst the prevalent economic crisis on the island country. Taking to Twitter, the SL PM said, "Sri Lanka today received Rs. 2 Billion worth Humanitarian aid including milk powder, rice, and medicines from India. Our sincere gratitude to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Hon. @mkstalin and the People of India for the support extended." more..

May 23 (FT) Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay yesterday handed over a large consignment of humanitarian assistance worth more than Rs. 2 billion from the people of India to SL. The handing over function was attended by Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister for Ports and Shipping Nimal Siripala de Silva, Former Minister Vajira Abeywardena, Chief of Staff of the PM Sagala Ratnayaka, Leader of CWC Senthil Thondaman, Food Commissioner J. Krishnamurthy, more..

May 23 (EN) Politicians’ extreme forecasts of 15-hour power cuts or zero power cuts in cash-strapped SL from June 1 onwards are baseless and unscientific, PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said. “Some politicians are making baseless, unscientific claims about the power situation. Recently, one said that we would have 15 hour power cuts. That is untrue. Another said that there will be no power cuts from June. more..

May 23 (AD) SL’s Yupun Abeykoon has set a new national record and a South Asian record in the men’s 200 meters during an athletic meet held in Italy. Italy-based SL sprinter shattered the existing South Asian and Sri Lanka records in the 200 meters event by clocking a time of 20.37 seconds at the 12th Castiglione International Meeting in Grosseto, Italy. Accordingly, he broke the SL record of 20.68 seconds set by Vinoj de Silva in 2018 and the South Asian record of 20.52 seconds more..

May 23 (DM) Stating that he had received an invitation to join the new govt, SJB MP Mayantha Dissanayake today said he would use it an opportunity to work for the nation. MP Dissanayake came out with this remark when he was questioned whether he would join the govt at a media briefing. I have received an invitation to join the govt. However I am not willing to leave SJB, but would work for the nation if I get an opportunity. I am also not willing to move away from the party line," more..

May 23 (TM) SL’s apparel sector has started losing around 10-20% of its orders to neighbouring competitors India and Bangladesh, as buyers express concern over SL’s economic and political situation, stated JAAF Deputy Chairman Felix Fernando. He said the country’s apparel sector has orders until June 2022, which were placed by buyers or brands at the end of 2021, when situation of SL was considerably economically stable. more..