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New Week

12 Feb 2022

1 - Two Bollywood stars in Sri Lanka Bollywood star Anil Kapoor is currently in Sri Lanka on a personal visit. According to the actor’s social media profiles, he is at the Geoffrey Bawa Country Estate in the Southern Coast along with members of his family. The 65-year-old actor has been sharing images on social media of him sprinting, working out, or flaunting his fitness along Sri Lanka’s southern beach. Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Aditya Roy Kapur too has flown down to Sri Lanka to shoot the Hindi adaptation of The Night Manager. According to sources, Aditya Roy Kapur has already started shooting for the show in Sri Lanka. The actor is set to shoot some of the crucial sequences of The Night Manager remake in Sri Lanka. 2 - Julie Chung sworn in as new US Ambassador to SL Deputy Secretary of State of the US Wendy R. Sherman swore in Julie Chung as Ambassador to Sri Lanka last Thursday (10). Taking to Twitter, Sherman said: “Ambassador Chung’s distinguished State Department career & exceptional leadership make her the perfect choice to represent the American people & advance the US-Sri Lanka partnership. I look forward to continuing our work together.” Chung is from Huntington Beach, California and joined the Foreign Service in 1996. She received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego and an M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University. Her foreign languages include Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Khmer. 3 - G.L. and Indian counterpart discuss economic and investment initiatives Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris who is on a two-day official visit to India met with his Indian counterpart Dr. S. Jaishankar for bilateral talks at the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi last Monday (7). The two dignitaries discussed a wide range of issues pertaining to the bilateral relationship during the talks, the Foreign Ministry said. Foreign Minister Peiris was joined by Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda and senior officials of the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Delhi and the Foreign Ministry. Indian Foreign Secretary Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla, the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay, and senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs, India accompanied the External Affairs Minister of India. The talks came days after India extended a $ 500 million credit line to Sri Lanka. Prof. Peiris arrived in Delhi last Sunday (6) on a three-day official visit. 4 - President claims international conspiracy to prevent Government’s journey President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday (9) claimed that local and foreign forces are working together to derail the current Government’s journey, similar to how they had worked to topple the previous Mahinda Rajapaksa administration, and that the groups that ruled the country previously are reuniting to mislead the people and drag the country into an abyss. Addressing the ‘First Public Rally’ organised by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) in Anuradhapura yesterday, the President further stated that he is committed to increasing the income of the farming community by 100% and to protect the country and the people as pledged in the national policy framework ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’.  The public rally was held under the patronage of the President and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Salgadu Public Ground, Anuradhapura.  1 Police support to be obtained to check vaccination status  The health authorities are planning to implement the extraordinary gazette preventing unvaccinated people from entering or being in public places with effect from 30 April with the support of the Police and security officials of such places, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH). Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella issued an extraordinary gazette preventing those who have not obtained first, second, and third doses of the Covid-19 vaccines from entering or being in public places with effect from 30 April. When asked who will be monitoring if those entering public places have obtained all three doses of the Covid-19 vaccines, MOH Medical Technology Services Director and Coordinator in Charge of Covid Operations Dr. Anver Hamdani said that it would be monitored by the Police and security officials at the respective premises. 2 Lanka IOC increases prices by Rs. 3 and Rs. 7 Lanka IOC (LIOC) increased its retail selling prices for diesel (Lanka auto diesel – LAD) by Rs. 3 per litre and petrol (LP 92) by Rs. 7 per litre Sunday (6) onwards due to a huge price increase in the international fuel market. The losses are around Rs. 42 per litre on sale of diesel and Rs. 10 per litre on sale of petrol at the current international prices. The last price revision took place on 21 December 2021. However, since then, the Brent crude oil prices have increased from $ 72 to $ 92 per barrel in the international market. The unprecedented rise in international oil prices has breached the seven-year highs. 3 NPP urges proper plan if going to IMF The National People’s Power (NPP) said on Sunday (6) that if the Government intends to restructure its debt as a solution to the current debt crisis, then it must first formulate a plan before approaching the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “The question is not whether we are going to the IMF or not, but whether we are going to go for a restructuring of debt. If we are going to restructure debt, then we must think of the terms of the restructuring, decide on a time, and the proper economic policies. We must first make this plan and then go to the IMF,” NPP Parliamentarian Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said. She stressed that it is important to understand what “going to the IMF” means. “The IMF will discuss and see what our plan is. Then they will give a guarantee to the international community – that they trust us and believe that we will intervene properly to meet our economic needs,” she said.  4 Prez orders speedy release of essentials held up at Customs Following multiple direct and public requests made by the Essential Food Commodities Importers’ and Traders’ Association (EFCITA) from the Government, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed relevant officials to take immediate steps to release cargo containing essential items held up at Sri Lanka Customs, the President’s Media Division (PMD) announced at a special discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat last Monday (7). The release added that President Rajapaksa also appointed a committee headed by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to ensure that there is no shortage of essential commodities, including food, during the upcoming festive season as it is important to provide people with the opportunity to purchase essential items without any shortage and instructed the officials to make plans for this immediately.  5 Ambika fires back at Govt. In a statement issued on 7 February, human rights activist Ambika Satkunanathan said that the Foreign Ministry’s response to her statement at the European Parliament’s Sub-Committee on Human Rights is “disappointing, disturbing, and dangerous”, adding that it “appears to be aimed at silencing the critique of government policies and actions”. “It is disturbing that the Government has taken umbrage at my appeal to the European Union (EU) to advocate with the Government to fulfil its international human rights obligations using the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade privileges as a conduit. The GSP+ privileges are dependent on the recipient fulfilling human rights obligations. It is regrettable that the Government refuses to acknowledge that any adverse outcome of the GSP+ review process would only be due to its failure to fulfil the GSP+ trade concessions’ requirements. Hence, it is the Government that must take responsibility for any adverse outcomes,” said Satkunanathan. In a press release issued on 4 February, the Foreign Ministry said that Satkunanathan’s “testimony is reminiscent of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) propaganda that once stoked hatred among the communities”. Furthermore, the Foreign Ministry said that it is “disappointed” that Satkunanathan has recommended that “the EU uses its leverage on the GSP+ facility to exert pressure on the Government on human rights”.  Responding to these accusations, Satkunanathan said that she was “deeply disappointed” by the statement and noted that efforts to bring lasting peace to Sri Lanka are undermined by denials of the root cause of the armed conflict: discrimination. 6 HC questions CIABOC’s decision-making ability Observing that it is ridiculous for the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to make contradictory statements before the court from time to time, the Colombo High Court (HC) Permanent Trial-at-Bar queried whether the CIABOC could not take an independent decision without embarrassing witnesses, defendants, and the court.  This was observed last Tuesday (8) at the case filed by the CIABOC against current Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and two others for allegedly causing a loss to the Government during Aluthgamage’s tenure as former Sports Minister was taken up in court. Accordingly, CIABOC Assistant Director General (ADG) Subhashini Siriwardena informed the court that the indictment filed by the CIABOC’s DG against Aluthgamage and two others had recently been amended by the Attorney General’s (AG’s) Department without the consent of the CIABOC’s three commissioners or the DG.  She further stated that she has not yet received legal advice on whether to continue or withdraw the said case. Noting that she has not been instructed by the CIABOC to withdraw the indictment filed against the accused, Siriwardena added that the CIABOC intended to act on the indictment filed earlier. She also requested the court to give her time to inform the final decision regarding the case.  7 CIABOC probes PM’s private plane jaunt to Tirupati The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has launched a preliminary investigation into Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s trip to the Tirupati Temple in India using a private air-plane in December 2021.  The CIABOC confirmed to The Morning last Tuesday (8) that following a complaint received about the said trip, it has decided to conduct a preliminary investigation into the matter.  Rajapaksa, accompanied by several family members (as seen in photographs available online), took a personal two-day tour to the Tirupati Temple in December 2021. Controversy arose over the use of a private air-plane (a blue Embraer Legacy 600 business jet) for the trip, for which, according to the information available online, the average hourly rental rate is around $ 6,700. 8 Health Ministry notes limited supply of RAT kits Responding to reports from various quarters that there is a shortage of rapid antigen test (RAT) kits across the country, the Health Ministry stated that Sri Lanka receives a limited supply of RAT kits as the demand for the same has increased globally in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking at a media briefing held last Tuesday (8), Health Ministry’s Communications Director, Public Health Services Deputy Director General, and Disaster Preparedness and Response Division Head Dr. Hemantha Herath said: “In the current context, the demand for RAT kits around the world has increased. Therefore, Sri Lanka receives these kits in very limited quantities. However, the country is receiving them continuously.”  He further said that there is a problem in obtaining RAT kits for the private sector as well. Therefore, as a remedy, Dr. Herath said that the relevant authorities have been instructed to conduct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests when RATs are not possible. 9 SLMA concerned over hike in road accidents The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) expressed concern last Tuesday (8) that there were 1,875 road accidents reported in the month of January alone, with 235 of them being fatal, and urged that a sustainable programme be launched nationally to reduce road accidents. “According to the Police, there were 1,875 serious accidents in January alone and 235 of them were fatal accidents. Three-wheelers were involved in 39 fatal accidents and at least 40 people have been killed in three-wheeler-based accidents in the past month. A total of 250 people were killed in road accidents in January alone. Approximately eight people a day were killed in road accidents in January,” the SLMA said. Furthermore, the SLMA said that there was a significant increase in the number of road accident deaths in 2021, noting that there were 2,414 fatal road accidents in 2021. 10 PUCSL greenlights emergency power purchase talks  The Power Ministry told The Morning last Wednesday (9) that the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has given initial approval for the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to proceed with negotiations with private power plants for the purchase of emergency power, if they are within the conditions stipulated by the Cabinet of Ministers, last week.  “The CEB is working on procuring emergency power only when needed. The Cabinet has stressed that there should be no payments done when power is not obtained from the private power plants. The PUCSL has given initial permission to go ahead with the negotiations, but ultimately we will get permission from the PUCSL before finalising anything,” official sources at the Power Ministry told The Morning.    11 PTA (Amendment) Bill omits ‘important elements’: EU The European Union (EU) said this week that “important elements” had not been included in the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979 (PTA {Amendment} Bill) and said that Sri Lanka needs to take further steps to make the PTA fully compliant with international norms.  “The EU welcomed the submission of amendments to the PTA by the Government of Sri Lanka.  However, the EU noted that important elements had not been included in the PTA (Amendment) Bill that has been gazetted. Sri Lanka took note of the views expressed by the EU to take further steps to make the PTA fully compliant with international norms. In the interim, while observing of the administrative steps taken in the form of directives issued by the Inspector General of Police, the EU urged Sri Lanka to continue reducing the use of the PTA, and to undertake further practical and administrative steps to release on bail those detained under the PTA without charges,” a joint press release by the EU-Sri Lanka Joint Commission said on 8 February.  12 Non-medical health sector slapped with two enjoining orders The District Court of Colombo on Thursday (10) issued two enjoining orders against the Government Nursing Officers’ Association (GNOA) and its President Saman Rathnapriya, calling for the immediate suspension of their strike, after taking into account a request made by Attorney General (AG) President’s Counsel (PC) Sanjay Rajaratnam.  The AG had also appraised the court of the current conditions at hospitals and that patient care has been gravely affected due to the strike. Accordingly, District Court Judge of Colombo Aruna Aluthge issued two enjoining orders, preventing the GNOA from continuing the said strike. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Vikum De Abrew, PC, with State Counsels (SCs) Chathura Gunatilake and Sehan Soyza, appeared on behalf of the AG.  However, when contacted by The Morning, Ravi Kumudesh, President of the College of Medical Laboratory Science (CMLS), which is among the 18 non-medical trade unions that are engaged in a continuous strike action, said that they would continue to engage in the strike action.   13 Trade unions term 25% surcharge tax on EPF, ETF ‘immoral, unethical’ The Government’s proposal to implement a 25% surcharge tax on the profits accrued by the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 is “immoral and unethical” and an attempt to resolve mistakes made by the Government at the expense of taxpayers, charged the Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees’ Union in a statement issued on 10 February.  “Social security and welfare funds of employees and also the poor are never taxed in any decent society to compensate for the loss of revenue for the State due to financial mismanagement and lack of clear economic policy,” it added. 14 PTA amendments tabled in Parliament The Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) (Amendment) Bill to amend the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979 (PTA) was tabled in in Parliament on Thursday (10)The PTA (Amendment) Bill was tabled in Parliament by Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris.    (Source: The Morning, www.themorning.lk)


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